Impact of Shrimp Culture on Adjacent Land Soil Characteristics Along Dakshina Kannada and Udupi Districts, Karnataka

Seepage of saline water from aquaculture ponds is an environmental problem since it results in salinisation of soil in nearby agricultural land and drinking water resources. Hence proper designing of aquafarms is very important for better management and thereby to overcome and/or minimize the adverse impacts on environment. In this regard study was carried out to know the impact of shrimp farming on adjacent land soil. The soil samples were collected fortnightly from adjacent land of the shrimpponds at a distance of 5 m to 500 m and at surface, 50 and 100 cm depth. The soil parameters such as electrical conductivity, pH and salinity were measured using standard procedures. It was observed that adjacent land soil quality parameters such as pH range from 2.23 to 8.54, electrical conductivity from 0.1 mS/cm to 48.26 mS/cm and soil salinity from 0 ppt to 36.5 ppt. In the present investigation it was found that the soil pH does not change much at various depthsand distance fromthe ponds. The salinity and electrical conductivity values changed up to 100 m from the shrimp ponds. The electrical conductivity and salinity of soil samples from lands surrounding shrimp farms reveal that as the distance from the farm increases value of these parameters decreases. However, there is practically no soil salinisation after a distance of 100 m from the pond.