Chittagong University develop Integrated Artemia-Salt Cultivation to Boost Coastal Livelihoods

Researchers at Chittagong University’s Institute of Marine Sciences have developed a pioneering system that allows the simultaneous farming of Artemia (brine shrimp) and salt in the same coastal salt pans. This breakthrough could transform the fisheries sector, strengthen Bangladesh’s blue economy, and generate new income opportunities in coastal communities.

What Is Artemia, and Why Does It Matter?

Artemia, often called brine shrimp, is a tiny crustacean that thrives in very salty water. It is highly valued in global aquaculture because it serves as nutritious live feed for fish and shrimp hatcheries.

Currently, Bangladesh imports all of its Artemia cysts, the dormant embryos used by hatceries. That dependence not only drains foreign currency but also makes the aquaculture industry vulnerable to international price fluctuations.

By enabling local Artemia production, the Chittagong University research team is offering a sustainable alternative. The system produces Artemia biomass, cysts, and flakes for hatchery use, all while simultaneously producing high-quality salt.

How the Integrated System Works

The innovation lies in combining avoided thought separation: salt farming and Artemia cultivation happen in the same fields using a coupled agro-aquaculture technique. Here’s how it works in practice:

1. Salt Pans: Traditional salt pans in coastal Bangladesh are used.

2. Artemia Seeding: Artemia cysts are introduced into the saline water.

3. Growth and Feeding: Artemia consume dissolved organic matter in the water, feeding naturally.

4. Harvest: Farmers harvest Artemia biomass, cysts, and eventually turn part of it into flakes.

5. Salt Production: At the same time, salt crystallises in the same pans, and because Artemia cleans the water by consuming organic dissolved substances, the resulting salt is purer than what is typically produced.

The research team led by Professor M. Shafiqul Islam has documented their process in a detailed handbook, “Commercialisation of Artemia Biomass and Cyst Produced in Saltpans for Livelihood Security of Coastal Community, Bangladesh.”

Economic and Livelihood Impacts for Coastal Farmers

The coastal salt farmers of Bangladesh often struggle with seasonal income instability. Salt production is typically a dry-season activity, and during the monsoon or off-season, their income drops significantly. The integrated Artemia-salt system is designed to change that.

Year-round income: Artemia can be harvested even when salt production is paused, giving farmers another revenue stream.

Reduced import dependence: Local Artemia production cuts the need for costly imports, saving foreign currency and reducing supply risks.

Value addition: Farmers can produce not just raw Artemia but cysts (for hatcheries), biomass, and flakes. These can be marketed domestically or internationally.

Cleaner production: Because Artemia consume the organic load in water, the salt harvested is purer, which may fetch better prices and meet higher quality standards.

Employment and skill-building: Chittagong University trained local salt farmers directly, teaching them how to cultivate Artemia, harvest cysts, and process flakes.

Environmental and Sustainability Benefits

The integrated Artemia-salt system is not just a business innovation — it is also a climate-smart, environmentally sustainable model.

Natural water filtration: Artemia’s consumption of organic matter improves water quality in salt ponds, reducing the risk of pollution.

Resilience to climate stress: Artemia is resilient to saline conditions and temperature fluctuations, which makes it an excellent candidate for climate-adaptive aquaculture.

Circularity: This system aligns with integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) principles, where one species’ byproducts support another, helping to close nutrient cycles and reduce waste.

Support to blue economy: By upgrading salt production with Artemia, the project boosts the blue economy, economic activity derived from marine and coastal resources — in Bangladesh’s coastal zones.

Global Lessons and Relevance

The Chittagong University model has global implications for sustainable aquaculture and salt production:

1. Food Security and Aquafeed: Artemia is a critical feed for shrimp and fish hatcheries globally. Producing it locally strengthens food supply chains.

2. Climate Adaptation Model: This integrated system can serve as a model for other climate-vulnerable coastal regions seeking resilient aquaculture solutions.

3. Circular Economy: The initiative demonstrates how coastal agriculture and aquaculture can be combined in a circular, sustainable design, a model relevant for many low- and middle-income countries.

4. Import Substitution: Reducing dependency on imported Artemia cysts can help developing economies save foreign currency and boost local industries.

International organisations such as WorldFish support similar initiatives, and their Artemia4Bangladesh project has already worked with local salt farmers to scale up these ideas.

Challenges and What’s Next

The research is promising, but scaling the system will require solving several real-world issues:

Scaling up: To reach scale, the model must be adopted across Bangladesh’s ~700 km of coastline.

Investment: Wider adoption needs both public and private investment, government agencies, salt companies, and aquaculture stakeholders must commit.

Infrastructure: Salt pans may need modification to optimise Artemia growth, and farmers will need training, processing facilities, and storage solutions.

Quality standards: Artemia cysts need to meet hatchery-grade quality; setting up quality assurance labs is essential.

Policy and incentives: Policy support subsidies, technical extension services, and market access will be crucial.

Market development: Artemia flakes and cysts must find reliable markets, both domestically and internationally, to make production financially viable.

The CU researchers are ready to collaborate: they seek engagement from government bodies, private investors, and coastal entrepreneurs.

Impact on the Coastal Communities of Bangladesh

The integrated Artemia-salt model has strong potential to transform coastal livelihoods. Salt farmers, many of whom struggle with low income, climate risks, and seasonal unemployment could:

Earn more from Artemia sales

Produce salt of higher purity (and value)

Reduce risk through diversified production

Gain skills and technical capacity

Participate in the blue economy more fully

Additionally, this innovation aligns with Bangladesh’s Sustainable Coastal and Marine Fisheries Project (SCMFP), which funded the research and aims to improve coastal resilience, food security, and economic opportunity.

A Win for Bangladesh’s Blue Economy

Chittagong University’s integrated Artemia-salt cultivation project is a major scientific and development breakthrough. By combining brine shrimp farming with traditional salt production, it offers a scalable, climate-smart solution that could boost income, reduce import dependence, and support environmental sustainability in Bangladesh’s coastal districts.

If successfully scaled, this system could transform Bangladesh’s coastal economy while contributing globally as a model of integrated aquaculture, circular resource use, and climate adaptation.