Author
Submitted to: Book of Abstracts Aquaculture America
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 12/13/2006 Publication Date: 2/26/2007 Citation: Green, B.W. 2007. Pacific white shrimp culture in inland ponds [abstract]. Book of Abstracts Aquaculture America. p. 359. Interpretive Summary: Not Required Technical Abstract: The Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), a tropical species grown throughout Latin America and now introduced into Asia, adapts to and grows well in low-salinity water. Pond culture of L. vannamei has expanded to inland regions across the southern US where low-salinity ground water is available. Aquifers that contain low-salinity (0.5 – 5 parts per thousand [ppt]) ground water are found throughout the southern US. However, access to low-salinity ground water is not an absolute requirement for inland shrimp culture because the concentrations of key ions can be increased to adequate levels in freshwater by adding readily available minerals. Thus, inland culture of L. vannamei offers fish farmers a potential strategy to diversify production. Critical factors that must be evaluated before deciding to grow L. vannamei in inland ponds include ionic composition of water, availability of mineral fertilizers, growing season duration, pond type, post-larval source, availability and acclimation, production strategy, feed availability, processing, and markets. The technical aspects of growing marine shrimp in inland ponds are straightforward and easily learned by fish farmers. Processing and marketing will require substantial time, and should be investigated thoroughly during the planning phase. |