Meanwhile other key members of the NGPIA have been active. Following the disappointment of the early halt to PL production in 2004 because of shortage of brine, both the partner hatcheries of GNAEP have taken steps to increase their capacity. The Upakul Freshwater Prawn Hatchery in particular has converted two former broodstock ponds into a large freshwater reservoir and complemented this by building a larger area for brine tanks.

The Southeast Freshwater Prawn Hatchery has also expanded its brine holding capacity and has added six more larvae rearing tanks. These investments and other investments in machinery indicate the confidence the hatchery owners have in the expansion of the industry in Noakhali. The process of acquisition of broodstock is well and truly underway, with both hatcheries benefiting from their own farms and gathering brood from other perennial ponds in the area. It is hoped that the first post larvae will be available as early as the first week of April, 20005. The Upakul hatchery has a plan for first cycle production of 4 mln post larvae, some of them already booked for subsidized distribution to farmers who could not advantage of GNAEP's flood rehabilitation package.

In 2005, GNAEP is planning to stress not the direct stocking of post larvae, but of juveniles. In some contexts, this offers of the advantage of lengthening the growing season where most ponds do not have sufficient water for grow-out, in other cases the larger prawn have a better chance of survival. Most importantly, however, the nursing of PL to juveniles is an ideal livelihood option for poor, especially women-headed, households in the chars with tiny ponds and creating a market for juveniles will allow expansion of this option.

The women-headed households who survived the flood in 2004 achieved remarkably high survival rates because of their careful husbandry and some women who sold their juveniles back to the Project for the rehabilitation programme managed a very good profit. Prawn Juveniles harvested from women operated nursery pond in 2004 some 59 women-headed households were engaged in prawn nursing in the main programme in Noakhali Sardar, with a few more under a small programme organized by NRDS in Companiganj and Sonagazi. It is hoped to increase that number to 200 in 2005.

The expectation that GNAEP would begin to market its prawn domestically through the Agora supermarket in Dhaka were delayed during the quarter. This was due to disagreement with the Shrimp Seal of Quality project (SSOQ) over the nature of the planned pilot certification process. SSOQ staff sought to pre-certify the ponds from which the GNAEP local buyer was obtaining prawn, rather than following the agreement in which group or sample certification would be practiced. Despite attempts to resolve the problem, there was an impasse until December when GNAEP approached Agora directly. Agora has now agreed to take "Noakhali Gold" regardless of formal certification, but based upon the guarantee of the Project. Shipments began shortly before Christmas and at the time of writing some 40 kgs were being sent to the supermarket chain every few days. An Agora team were due to visit Noakhali in early January to see the system for themselves.