What factors contribute to a good prawn ?
• Stress. Prawns should be bred in stress-free conditions. Stress may be caused by insufficient dissolved oxygen in the ponds, disease outbreak, pollution and heavy organic load in the pond water. • Health. Prawns should have strong immunity against diseases. Antibiotics should be avoided and chemical treatment of the pond environment should be minimized, otherwise chemical residues will be absorbed by the prawn. • Nutrition. There should be abundant natural food such as plankton, algae and bio-flocs. However, in intensive culture, there is seldom sufficient natural food and all nutrition is provided by commercial feeds. • Environment. The pond water and bottom should be clean and free of pathogens and their vectors. Very often, the pond environment contains external contaminants such as iron, fertilizer, pesticide, detergent, and so on. There is also often accumulation of sludge at the pond bottom due to uneaten feeds, dead organisms, fecal matter and so on. This dirty environment is
