Abstract
The integrated aquaculture-seaweed system has been identified as a bio-mitigation strategy to overcome environmental damage, improve the efficiency of nutrient use, maintain good water quality, and ensure the system’s sustainability. This study was conducted to determine the appropriate density of sea grape (Caulerpa lentillifera) in polyculture with whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) in the same culture tank. Five treatments were randomly designed in triplicate tanks where shrimp was monocultured (without sea grape) as a control treatment and four polyculture treatments with different seaweed density levels (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 kg m−3) for 56 days. The results showed that polyculture of shrimp and sea grape significantly reduced the concentrations of total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), nitrite (NO2−), nitrate (NO3−), and phosphate (PO43−) in the rearing tanks and significantly improved (p < 0.05) the growth rate (6.67–6.76% day−1), survival (73.3–78.5%), and production of shrimp (3.44–3.87 kg m−3) compared to monoculture (6.24% day−1, 54.8%, and 2.02 kg m−3, respectively). Applying shrimp and sea grape polyculture at a density of 1 kg m−3 provided a relatively better shrimp performance and feed conversion ratio than other seaweed densities, although not significantly different among polyculture treatments. The findings suggested that sea grape could be used at densities of 0.5–2 kg m−3 in polyculture with whiteleg shrimp, of which 1 kg m−3 resulted in higher production and feed efficiency.
Highlights
Shrimp farming is one of the fast-growing sectors in the aquaculture industry, with a global farmed shrimp production of about 4 million tonnes in 2018, accounting for a 3–5%production increase compared to the preceding year
The dominance of whiteleg shrimp culture in Asia has been attributed to the species superior aquaculture trait, such as fast growth, wide salinity tolerance, and the ability to grow in poor environmental conditions [3]
The present study aims to determine the optimal initial stocking density of sea grape co-cultured with whiteleg shrimp that ensures enhanced water quality, growth, survival, and production of shrimp in tank conditions
Summary
Shrimp farming is one of the fast-growing sectors in the aquaculture industry, with a global farmed shrimp production of about 4 million tonnes in 2018, accounting for a 3–5%production increase compared to the preceding year. Shrimp farming is one of the fast-growing sectors in the aquaculture industry, with a global farmed shrimp production of about 4 million tonnes in 2018, accounting for a 3–5%. In 2018, the whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) was ranked the most farmed shrimp species, accounting for 82% of the total world farmed shrimp production. In Vietnam, shrimp production plays a significant role in the overall aquaculture production, with an average yield of approximately 520,000–750,000 tons per year, accounting for 11% of the global output [1,2]. The dominance of whiteleg shrimp culture in Asia has been attributed to the species superior aquaculture trait, such as fast growth, wide salinity tolerance, and the ability to grow in poor environmental conditions [3]. Intensive shrimp farms are characterized by high stocking density (70–150 shrimp m−2 ) [4] and have resulted in the release of excessive nutrient loads in nitrogen and phosphorus compounds in culture systems, resulting in the rapid deterioration of water quality, hypoxic bottom water, eutrophication, and frequent outbreaks of disease, leading to reduced shrimp production [5,6,7]
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