Inland Shrimp Farming Research Articles

Genotype-by-environment interactions for the growth and survival of Litopenaeus vannamei under normal and low-salinity environments

Litopenaeus vannamei is the primary shrimp species farmed worldwide, as it can tolerate salinities ranging from near freshwater to hypersaline seawater. Inland shrimp farming in low-salinity waters expanded in the Americas and Asia following the domestication of L. vannamei and may be primed for further growth. Salinity is a key production parameter affecting the growth and survival of shrimp and varies between seasons and locations. This study aimed to compare the growth and survival rates of L. vannamei under normal (NS; 30–32 ppt) and low-salinity (LS; 10 ppt) environments and estimate genetic parameters and genotype-by-environment interactions (G x E) between growth or survival rates and salinity. Over approximately seven generations, 1028 full-sib shrimp families were evaluated for growth (ADG) and survival in a nucleus breeding center under NS and LS environments. Parental models were used for single and multi-environment trial (MET) analyses to estimate genetic parameters and G x E. Growth (ADG) (0.32 ± 0.05 g vs. 0.29 ± 0.05 g) and survival (82.6 ± 10.8 % vs. 72.2 ± 19.1 %) were significantly better under the NS versus LS environment, respectively. Heritability estimates were low for growth (0.04–0.14) and low to moderate for survival (0.09–0.23). Genetic correlations (rg) between salinity environments were strong (0.87 ± 0.07) for growth and moderate (0.66 ± 0.14) for survival, indicating weak G x E for growth and moderate G x E for survival.

Water Use by Inland Aquaculture in Thailand: Stakeholder Perceptions, Scientific Evidence, and Public Policy.

This paper assesses the significance of stakeholder discourses on uses of water by aquaculture for public policy. Our discourse analysis focuses on the experiences with inland aquaculture in Thailand, drawing from interviews with stakeholders, and evidence in public documents such as newspapers and television news reports. A key finding is that fish farms suffer significant losses from polluted run-off entering water bodies where fish are grown. Mass mortality events in river cage culture, in particular, attract media attention and are the core of the aquaculture-as-victim discourse. Fish farms are also adversely impacted by river management and current water allocation policies. Inland shrimp farming has received more negative media and scientific attention than fish farming, and is the focus of the aquaculture-as-villain discourse. A third, aquaculture-as-benign discourse, is used widely to describe fish pond culture, and more rarely to promote aquaculture in low-quality water bodies or as part of integrated nutrient and waste re-use farming systems. The findings strongly imply that aquaculture farmers should be included as a stakeholder in the management of watersheds and rivers, as well as the negotiation and allocation of water resources. They also suggest a need for aquaculture development policies to pay closer attention to water quality and allocation issues.

Assessment of environmental loads of Cu and Zn from intensive inland shrimp aquaculture.

An experiment was developed to simulate inland shrimp farming using diluted seawater (1.9gL-1) containing 75 shrimps (Litopenaeus vannamei) per square meter during a growth cycle of 120days. In this study, the environmental loads of copper and zinc were estimated and compared to anthropogenic sources and shrimp aquacultures in other locations. Both metals resulted primarily from feeding, which accounted for 91.8% of Cu and 97.0% of Zn. Concentrations of Cu (110.8±11.8μgg-1) and Zn (69.0±0.7μgg-1) measured in the harvested shrimp had higher Cu and lower Zn concentrations compared to those reported for farmed shrimp from Brazil and Mexico. Clearly, organic sludge was the main route of removal for both metals (Cu 46.2%; Zn 92.6%). The annual environmental loads estimated for inland shrimp aquaculture were 598±74gCuha-1 and 5080±328gZnha-1.

Assessment of the flood vulnerability of shrimp farms using a multicriteria evaluation and GIS: a case study in the Bangpakong Sub-Basin, Thailand

Flood disasters associated with tropical storms have caused extensive and repeated damage to shrimp farms located in the Bangpakong River Basin, Chachoengsao Province, Thailand, which features the largest area of inland shrimp farming in the country. This study aims to assess the current vulnerability of shrimp farms to flooding and to examine the shrimp farmers’ actual adaptation practices for coping with floods based on past flood events. A flood vulnerability map was developed based on the geo-environmental characteristics of the study area. The map was produced through the use of geographic information system methods and a multicriteria evaluation. The current vulnerability map indicates that the majority of shrimp farms in the Bangpakong River Basin are highly vulnerable to flooding when the 10-day cumulative rainfall is >250–300 mm. The highly vulnerable area identified by the map is consistent with the area impacted by flooding in 2011. Based on a questionnaire, the majority of shrimp farmers have developed various adaptation practices to cope with flooding. The most common practice for minimizing flood damage is to increase the height of dikes around shrimp ponds. Because of budgetary constraints, approximately 20 % of small-scale shrimp farmers did not implement any adaptation practices and risked potential damage. With increasing climate change threats, these research results are useful for planning and creating policies that can reduce flood damage to shrimp farms in vulnerable zones. The results can also be applied to other areas facing similar conditions.

Use of shrimp farm effluents for irrigation of Panicum maximum cvs.Tanzania and Mombaça

The study aimed to evaluate soil chemical changes and yield of two cultivars of Panicum maximum Jacq. (Tanzania and Mombaça) in response to irrigation with effluent from inland shrimp farming and compare the results with those obtained with conventional irrigation using river water. The experiment was carried out in a shrimp farm, in Russas-CE, Brazil. It was used a randomized block design, in a factorial 2 (grass cultivars) x 2 (types of irrigation water). The following yield variables were evaluated in four grass cuttings: height, dry matter yield and dry matter content. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey test. The following soil chemical properties were analyzed before and after treatment application: pH, electrical conductivity of saturated extract (CE), exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), organic matter, P, K + , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ and Na + . Data were analyzed using t tests for paired observations, at 5% significance level. Irrigation with effluent from shrimp farming did not increased or reduced significantly dry matter yield of two cultivars of Panicum maximum as compared to irrigation with Jaguaribe river water. After 14 months of cultivation, levels of Na + , CE and ESP increased significantly (p

Reuse of inland low-salinity shrimp farm effluent for melon irrigation

Environmental impacts associated with inland shrimp farming may be attenuated by using its effluent for crop irrigation. The objective of this study was to evaluate melon (Cucumis melo L.) yield and changes in soil chemical characteristics, in response to irrigation with low-salinity shrimp farm effluent, and to compare the results with freshwater irrigation. The following treatments were applied: two sources of water for melon drip irrigation (shrimp effluent and river water) as main factors and two nitrogen doses applied through fertigation (120 and 90kgNha−1) as sub-factors. There were no significant differences among treatments regarding melon yield and fruit quality. Compared to river water, effluent irrigation decreased pH, calcium, and magnesium levels in the soil, increasing the exchangeable sodium ratio (ESR).

Impactos ambientais da carcinicultura de águas interiores

O objetivo deste trabalho é identificar os principais aspectos e impactos ambientais relacionados à carcinicultura em águas interiores, através da análise das etapas do processo e dos diferentes tipos de cultivo, em 32 fazendas localizadas nas bacias do Médio e Baixo Jaguaribe, Ceará, Brasil. Essa avaliação foi realizada aplicando-se questionários e realizando-se a caracterização dos efluentes e do solo de 3 viveiros selecionados. Os principais impactos ambientais estão relacionados à ocupação de áreas de preservação permanente pelos viveiros de engorda, conflitos pelo uso da água em região semi-árida, contaminação de corpos hídricos que são fonte de abastecimento humano para os municípios da região e aumento de doenças entre os trabalhadores rurais pela manipulação inadequada de produtos químicos durante o cultivo. Esses impactos podem ser reduzidos a níveis compatíveis com a capacidade de suporte do meio, quando respeitada a legislação e adotada boas práticas de manejo. Recomenda-se também a condução de estudos que avaliem a capacidade de suporte da bacia hidrográfica, visando balizar o licenciamento ambiental e a concessão de outorgas de água para o desenvolvimento da atividade.

A dietary modification approach to improve the osmoregulatory capacity of Litopenaeus vannamei cultured in the Arizona desert

A modified diet was formulated for Arizona inland shrimp farming and tested as a method for reducing moult-associated mortalities presumed due to trace mineral deficiencies. The experimental diet was supplemented with additional dietary magnesium, potassium, phospholipids and cholesterol to a commercial shrimp feed (Rangen 45/10, which was also used as the control diet). The modified diet was tested at Arizona Mariculture Associates (AMA), while the control diet was used at a nearby inland shrimp farm, Desert Sweet Shrimp Farm (DSSF). Both feeds were used throughout the culture season of 2001. Earthen pond-reared Litopenaeus vannamei at intermoult stages (C-D0) and ranging from 7 to 30 g were sampled at intervals for determination of haemolymph osmolality (HO). Results showed that the modified diet had not only resulted in larger size shrimp at harvest, but also improved osmoregulatory capacity (OC). HO of DSSF shrimp decreased as shrimp grew bigger, whereas HO of AMA shrimp was maintained at a stable level, or showed a slightly positive linear relationship with weight. The hyperOC of shrimp from AMA (462 mOsm kg )1 ) was greater than that from DSSF (398 mOsm kg )1 ). Shrimp at AMA fed the experimental diet presented no mass moult-associated mortalities. To further investigate the iso-osmotic point of shrimp reared in AMA, a group of six salinity gradients were designed by mixing oceanic salts into the well water to form 5, 8.5, 11.4, 14.4, 17.8, 20.7 p.p.t. medium. HO of subadult shrimp (25 g in average) were then evaluated 48 h after they had been transferred from 5 p.p.t. pond water to the medium. Shrimp HO increased with external salinity, and a plateau formed as salinity reached at 11.4 p.p.t. and higher. The iso-osmotic point of shrimp was estimated to be 695.5 mOsm kg )1 , equivalent to 26.1 p.p.t. in AMA well water.

Salt balances of inland shrimp ponds in Thailand: implications for land and water salinization

Brackish water ponds for farming black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) have recently proliferated in inland areas of Thailand's central plain, raising concerns about land and water salinization. The environmental impacts of inland shrimp farming were assessed by analysing the salt balance for an inland shrimp farm. Field data on water fluxes and pond salinity, collected from nine ponds in Chachoengsao Province from May–July 1999, were used to model the salt balance for a typical shrimp pond over one growout cycle. During growout, seepage represented 38% (11.5 tonnes crop−1) of salt losses, pond discharge 33% (9.7 tonnes crop−1), and accumulation of salt in pond sediment 6% (1.8 tonnes crop−1). About 23% of the initial salt content remained at harvest and could have been recycled. However, the majority (84% on average) was discharged to the irrigation canals. Much of the salt in pond sediment was also exported to the canal system through tidal flushing of the ponds. Field measurements of salinity were taken in adjacent canals and rice paddies to explore the impacts of salt exports from shrimp ponds. Pond discharge caused increases in canal salinity above levels that would impact on yields of irrigated rice and orchard crops, the main land uses in the region. Elevated soil and water salinity in adjacent rice fields was probably related to lateral seepage from the ponds. The salt budget was also modelled for a zero discharge farming system, promoted by proponents of inland shrimp farming as having few impacts. However, the results suggest that, even in zero discharge ponds, almost half of the initial pond salt content is exported through seepage (45%, 12.4 tonnes crop−1), with another 6% (1.8 tonnes crop−1) deposited in sediments. While techniques exist for mitigating much of the salt leakage, the likelihood of their uptake in Thailand is low. Further expansion of inland shrimp farming in the central plain is therefore likely to contribute substantial salt load to the area's land and water resources.

Hydrology of inland brackishwater shrimp ponds in Chachoengsao, Thailand

This study focuses on a new trend in shrimp aquaculture, the development of brackishwater ponds for Penaeus monodon culture in inland freshwater areas of Thailand’s Central Plain. Water balances were calculated for ponds and reservoirs at an inland shrimp farm in Chachoengsao, Thailand, between May and July 1999. Regulated inflow and outflow were the largest water fluxes, averaging 0.94 and 0.70 cm/day. Other daily average water gains were rainfall (0.52 cm/day) and runoff (1.7 cm/day), and other water losses were evaporation (0.31 cm/day) and seepage (0.52 cm/day). Over an entire crop cycle, of average length 109 days, average water inputs were: initial pond filling (84 cm); regulated inflow (103 cm); rainfall (57 cm); and runoff (3 cm). Average outputs were: regulated outflow (76 cm); seepage (57 cm); evaporation (34 cm); and draining at harvest (87 cm). The main feature of note in the water balance is the large volume of regulated outflow. All regulated outflow and most (82%) of the pondwater drained at harvest went directly to the irrigation canal system. Such large volumes of discharge could have serious environmental implications because small inland waterways have low assimilative capacity and pond effluent is saline. Consumptive water use for 14 inland shrimp ponds and reservoirs averaged 0.83±0.14 cm/day. Consumptive water use was also measured for 11 nearby rice fields, the main land use in the regions where inland shrimp farming is proliferating. Rice paddy water use averaged 0.91±0.17 cm/day. There was no significant difference in the daily consumptive water use of shrimp ponds and rice fields, suggesting that conversion from rice farming to shrimp farming would have little net impact on water availability for irrigation.

Low Salinity Inland Shrimp Farming in Thailand

Low Salinity Inland Shrimp Farming in Thailand

Low Salinity Inland Shrimp Farming in Thailand

Abstract Thailand has been the world's largest exporter of cultured shrimp since 1991. Despite problems with poor environmental conditions and disease outbreaks that led to the failure and abandonment of numerous farms along the coast, Thai shrimp production has remained high. A primary factor has been the establishment of low salinity shrimp farming for black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) in areas much further inland from the coast than once thought feasible. The rapid development of low salinity culture in freshwater areas that are predominantly used for paddy rice cultivation, however, now represents a major land and water management challenge. The debate over the potential environmental impacts of inland shrimp farming revolves around three key questions: i) the ability of so-called “closed” production systems to minimize environmental impacts, ii) the capacity of the Thai government to enforce environmental protection regulations, and iii) the potential emergence of cumulative environmental impacts....

Rice Paddy or Shrimp Pond: Tough Decisions in Rural Thailand

Thailand is the world’s largest producer of cultured shrimp. Despite problems with poor environmental conditions and outbreaks of disease that have led to the large-scale abandonment of culture areas along the coast, production has remained high. A primary factor has been the establishment of marine shrimp farming in Thailand’s rice growing Central Plain. This paper describes the development of inland shrimp farming in Thailand, and discusses the environmental concerns that have arisen. We then examine the evolution of the government’s response to inland shrimp farming and assess the capacity of the state to implement a proposed ban. We conclude by arguing that other countries with irrigated agriculture need to be proactive in prohibiting this activity before it is entrenched in ways that are difficult to reverse either ecologically or politically.