Shrimp cultivators are now unable to release fry in their enclosures as fry price went up unusually high due to poor supply.

According to industry sources, fry is now selling between Tk 600 and Tk 650 per thousands, which ranged between Tk 250 and Tk 300 early this year.

"Price of tiger mother shrimp went unusually high due to poor supply," said Badal Das, managing director of Shapla Hatchery. Besides, production of fry has gone down substantially as shrimp mothers are spawning less, he added.

Shrimp production may dip by more than half of the target in the region this year as most of the enclosures have hardly utilised 50 percent of their total capacity.

It is feared that around 70 percent of the shrimp cultivators will face huge losses this year due to price hike and poor quality of fry.

Hatcheries are failing to meet the fry demand due to non-availability of full growth mother shrimp collected from sea and rivers.

Shrimp cultivators have to depend on the fry produced at 48 hatcheries located in Cox's Bazar, Chittagong and Khulna.

According to the Department of Fishery sources, there are now about 12,068 shrimp enclosures on 47,576 hectares of land.

Earlier, shrimp cultivation was affected alarmingly, thanks to outbreak of the viral disease, 'White Spot', in almost all enclosures in Satkhira district following a severe hot spell in mid June.

Several thousands shrimp cultivators incurred Tk 200 crore losses following the outbreak of the viral disease, according to an unofficial estimate.