INLAND CULTURE OF THE WHITE SHRIMP Litopenaeus vannamei IN ARIZONA: GOING FORWARD OR BACKWARD? Joshua S. Wilkenfeld * Craig Collins, Roger Drudge, Tark.

INLAND CULTURE OF THE WHITE SHRIMP INLAND CULTURE OF THE WHITE SHRIMP Litopenaeus vannameiLitopenaeus vannamei

IN ARIZONA: IN ARIZONA: GOING FORWARD OR BACKWARD?GOING FORWARD OR BACKWARD?

Joshua S. Wilkenfeld*

Craig Collins, Roger Drudge, Tark Rush

 Arizona Mariculture Associates, LLC

HC1 Box 46A

50621 Agua Caliente Road

Dateland, AZ 85333 USA

Phone: (928) 502-0454 Fax (928) 782-0685

E-mail: [email protected]

TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSEDTOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED

1. Quick Review of Existing Farms & Culture Methods Used in 2003

2. Production History & Recent Data

3. Why we are going in the direction we are

4. Production Problems Encountered & Progress in Resolving Them (this is the good part)

5. Future Prospects (this is the not-so-good part, maybe)

WHY RAISE SALT WATER SHRIMP IN WHY RAISE SALT WATER SHRIMP IN THE ARIZONA DESERT?!?THE ARIZONA DESERT?!?

Colorado and Gila River aquifers Relatively inexpensive land Friendly regulatory environment Very important: VIRUS FREE

(thus far)

FARM POND TYPE CHARACTERISTICSTOTAL

HECTARES

LinedHDPE; 0.04-0.10 ha; 125-

250/m2; High HP1.7

Standard Dirt 0.8-2.6 ha; 15-18/m2; No Aeration

10.2

Arizona Shrimp Co

Standard Dirt 7.5-10.0 ha; 8/m2; No Aeration

80.0

Standard Dirt 0.7-1.0 ha; 60/m2; With Aeration

9.7

Hybrid Dirt 0.4 ha; 60-75/m2; Heavy Aeration

10.1

Standard Dirt 5.0-6.0 ha; 8/m2; No Aeration

31.5

Hybrid Dirt 1.0 ha; 25/m2; Recirc; With Aeration

14.0

TOTAL HECTARES 131.4

Ewing Shrimp Farm

Arizona Mariculture

Desert Sweet Shrimp

CULTURE SYSTEMS EMPLOYEDCULTURE SYSTEMS EMPLOYED((Take Your Pick!)Take Your Pick!)

Arizona Mariculture Dirt PondArizona Mariculture Dirt Pond

Arizona Mariculture Arizona Mariculture Dirt PondsDirt Ponds

Arizona Mariculture Dirt PondArizona Mariculture Dirt Pond

Desert Sweet Dirt PondsDesert Sweet Dirt Ponds

PRODUCTION HISTORY IN ARIZONA PRODUCTION HISTORY IN ARIZONA (’98&‘99=26HA; ’00=36HA; (’98&‘99=26HA; ’00=36HA;

’01=114HA; ’02=136HA; ’03=90HA)’01=114HA; ’02=136HA; ’03=90HA)

0

50

100

150

200

250

Metric Tons (Kg X 1,000)

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Year

Ewing Shrimp Farm

Desert Sweet Shrimp

Arizona Shrimp Co.

Arizona Mariculture

FARM

Total Area Run in '03 (ha) 9.70 37.00 Number of Ponds 18 5 Mean Pond Size 0.5 7.4 Stocking Date 07-May-03 16-Jun-03

Most Harvests Finished 15-Oct-03 12-Oct-03 Mean Days of Culture 155 115

Stocking Density (/m2) 57 8

Stocking Weight (g) 0.10 0.10

Harvest Density (/m2) 32 5

Survival 56% 58% Harvest Weight (g) 18.0 28.0 Weekly Growth (g) 0.81 1.70 Kg/ha Harvested 5,717 1,265

Total Harvest (kg) 55,455 46,818Feed Conversion 1.80 2.00

DES. SWEET (Intensive)

AZ SHRIMP (Extensive)

SYSTEM PERFORMANCESYSTEM PERFORMANCE: 2003: 2003

FARM

Total Hectares 9.7 37.0Total Harvest (kg) 55,455 46,818Kg/ha Harvested 5,717 1,265

Harvest Weight (g) 18.0 28.0 Assume Tail Recovery 63% 63%

Tails/Pound 36/40 26/30Fulton Fish Price ($/lb) $3.20 $4.00

Crop Value/ha $25,356 $7,015Total Crop Value $245,954 $259,559

Production Costs/lb $3.06 $1.70 Total Production Cost $373,323 $175,099

Net Income/ha -$13,131 $2,283Total Net Income -$127,369 $84,460

DES. SWEET (Intensive)

AZ SHRIMP (Extensive)

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCEFINANCIAL PERFORMANCE: 2003: 2003

PROGRESS IN RESOLVING PROGRESS IN RESOLVING PROBLEMS PROBLEMS

Laundry list presented last year included: continuous attrition, molting mortalities, cramping, unstable blooms, benthic algae, blue green algae…

Shrimp were living on the edge, very sensitive to stress

Significant Concern: WATER CHEMISTRY In 2003, focused on standardizing use of

potash, fertilizer, and dolomite What Josh wishes someone had told him

before

STANDARDIZING & MINIMIZING OUR STANDARDIZING & MINIMIZING OUR USE OF POTASH (KCl)USE OF POTASH (KCl)

Fielder, D.S., Bardsley, W.J., Allan, G.L., 2001. Survival and growth of Australian snapper, Pagrus auratus, in saline groundwater from inland New South Wales, Australia. Aquaculture 201, 73-90.

Key is factor obtained by dividing K/Cl (both in mg/l), regardless of salinity

Minimum value for survival is 0.0070 Unpublished data: Works for Shrimp too! We chose 0.0100 for safety

DEDUCTIVE REASONING FOR FOCUS DEDUCTIVE REASONING FOR FOCUS ON POTASSIUMON POTASSIUM

COMPONENT (mg/l)SEA WATER

(www.)

DILUTE SEA WATER (Calc.)

Arizona Mariculture

(Lab & Boyd)

Arizona Shrimp Co.

(Lab & Boyd)

Desert Sweet Shrimp (Lab

& Boyd)

Ewing Shrimp Farm

(Boyd)

Salinity (ppt) 35.0 4.5 4.6 7.4 1.5 4.6 pH 8.2 ND 7.3 7.6 7.8 7.9

Alkalinity 125.0 ND 55.0 220.0 137.0 174.4 Cl 19,400.0 2,494.3 1,800.0 3,223.0 530.0 2,339.0 Na 10,500.0 1,350.0 1,500.0 2,595.0 410.0 1,610.0

SO4 2,740.0 352.3 1,800.0 2,313.0 343.0 857.0 Mg 1,272.0 163.5 36.0 222.0 12.0 113.0 Ca 400.0 51.4 520.0 497.0 120.0 319.0 K 380.0 48.9 7.0 15.2 10.0 13.0

K/Cl Factor 0.0196 0.0196 0.0039 0.0047 0.0189 0.0055 For K/Cl Factor of

0.0100, K should beNA NA 18.0 32.2 5.3 23.4

Additional mg of K/l Required To Reach

K/Cl Factor of 0.0100 None None 11.0 17.0 (4.7) 10.4

Grams of KCl to be added per 1,000 liters

of new waterNone None 22.1 34.1 (9.4) 21.0

2.01 mg/liter

2.01 g/1000 liters

mg of Potash (KCl) to be added per liter of water for each additional mg/l of Potassium (K) requiredg of Potash (KCl) to be added per 1,000 liter of water for each additional mg/l of Potassium (K) required

Percent of Potassium (K) in Potash (KCl) 49.8%

STANDARDIZING OUR USE OF STANDARDIZING OUR USE OF FERTILIZERFERTILIZER

Went back to basic literature; opted for 20:1 ratio of N:P

We use urea (0.45 kg-N per kg urea) and phosphoric acid (0.24 kg-P per kg PA)

Trial & error yielded basic dose of 11.5 kg urea/ha and 1.02 kg phosphoric acid/ha

Apply twice in first week of water culture, then as needed to obtain and retain desirable sechi (35-45 cm)

To avoid runaway blooms, wait AT LEAST three days between applications!

NOT SO SCIENTIFIC USE OF NOT SO SCIENTIFIC USE OF DOLOMITEDOLOMITE

Attempting to boost alkalinity and magnesium

May help in stabilizing algae bloom We apply 1,000 kg dolomite/ha before

filling pond After first 30 days, we follow up with 75

kg/ha once/week

So, Even So, Even Though Though

Everybody Everybody Loves Loves

Shrimp…Shrimp…

THE FUTURE OF INLAND SHRIMP THE FUTURE OF INLAND SHRIMP FARMING IN ARIZONA IS CLOUDYFARMING IN ARIZONA IS CLOUDY

All four farms will probably stock again this year

Focusing on the live shrimp market failed as a strategy in 2003

Still trying to develop reliable, profitable specialty niches

Three of the four farms will drop to low density, low cost operations

The EndThe End

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