This paper aims at identifying various determinants of shrimp yield in scientific and traditional farming systems in West Bengal. The primary data was collected from two shrimp farming districts—North 24 Parganas and Purba Midnapur during 2004-05. The empirical results derived from the multiple regression analysis show that education and capital costs have a positive impact on the yield in both the systems. But apart from these two variables, some other factors specific to the farming systems also have a significant impact on the yield. In the case of scientific farming, the farmers' association with other occupations besides shrimp farming has a detrimental effect on the yield. The culture of shrimp in the leased land has a positive impact on the yield. Similarly, in traditional farming, the labor cost has a positive impact on the yield. These evidences suggest that the government should promote alternative income generation schemes in traditional farming especially for the farmers completely dependent on shrimp culture. In the case of scientific farming, the government should promote incentives like crop insurance schemes, which will help the farmers to concentrate entirely on shrimp instead of getting engaged in diversified activities.

India has a long coastline of 811,800 sq.km having considerable potential for the development of fisheries.Fisheries in the east coast of India, comprising Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal, are dominated by shrimp culture. Shrimp has become a major export item for India for a decade now with a large share in the total exports. The total shrimp export from India has gradually increased with a growth rate of 0.18% in 1978-79 to 17% in 1990-91. The peak period of export growth of shrimp was from 1990-91 to 1995-96. Subsequently, shrimp export started declining until 1998-99 following the frequent disease outbreaks in the major shrimp-producing states. In recent times, it has again started reviving with a growth rate of 14% in 2002-2003. But, the share of cultured shrimp in the total shrimp export has been increasing steadily during the period 1988-89 to 2002-2003. During this period, the share of cultured shrimp has become almost double both in terms of quantity and value.

The different culture systems existent in shrimp culture farming can be conventionally classified into four categories—traditional, extensive, semi-intensive and intensive—based on the increasing inputs of feeding and water management as well as stocking density. But there can be country-specific deviations from these practices. In India there are five kinds of systems, namely traditional, improved traditional, extensive, semi-intensive and intensive.

The shrimp culture systems in India is an age-old practice which occupies 36.23% of the total cultivated brackish water area, of which 27.18% area is in West Bengal and 7.03% is in Kerala. The production was low prior to the 1990s when the traditional practice was the dominating one. The real turning point of production of cultured shrimp was the advent of scientific farming as a part of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank project in 1988-89. Though various incentives to promote this farming system have helped shoot up the production levels, they can have detrimental environmental consequences (Primavera, 1991; Pillay, 1992; and World Bank, 2000).

Yields in Shrimp Culture, Scientific Vs. Traditional Farming Systems in West Bengal, multiple regression analysis, education and capital costs, farming systems, crop insurance schemes, export item, disease outbreaks, quantity and value, traditional, extensive, semi-intensive, intensive.