On-farm evaluation of three different hatchery sources of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) cultured in on-levee tanks in low-salinity waters of west Alabama

ABSTRACT

Shrimp farmers in Alabama who produce the Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, have recently reported abnormally low survival at harvest. Farmers have hypothesized that this phenomenon may be due to disease, toxic algae, shrimp source, or reduced shrimp robustness in later stages of production. To compare performance of shrimp from different sources, postlarvae were obtained from three different hatcheries and stocked on the same day in on-levee tank systems (TS) on two farms (Farm 1-TS; Farm 2-TS1; Farm 2-TS2). Following 104 days of culture on Farm 2-TS1 and Farm 2-TS2, there were no differences in survival (72.8%–91.2%) or final weight (19.8–24.6 g). At Farm 1-TS following 107 days of culture, there were differences in survival from shrimp sourced from one hatchery (40.5%) compared to the other two hatcheries (61.0%–69.8%). Results demonstrated acceptable growth performance and survival from all hatchery sources.     

Concentration of 17α-Methyltestosterone in HormoneTreated Feed: Effects of Analytical Technique, Fabrication, and Storage Temperature

Feed treated with 17α-methyltestosterone (MT) is used to manipulate the gender of early tilapia fry. In the USA, hormone-treated feed is used by selected producers under an Investigational New Animal Drug (INAD) program. While monitoring the fabrication and on-farm use of this treated feed, concerns were raised about the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analytical procedure for detecting MT in feeds, the incorporation of MT in feeds during fabrication, and effects of storage temperature on MT concentration. A series of experiments demonstrated that the analytical procedure for detecting MT in feeds lacked high precision, and, on average, biased results low. MT was uniformly mixed with feed by spraying an MT-alcohol solution on feed while it was blended in an industrial ribbon mixer. Alcohol volumes ranging from 15 mL/kg to 150 mL/kg were equally effective at dispersing MT in feed. The concentrations of MT in feeds consistently declined over time if the storage temperatures were 25 C or higher. Freezing preserved the MT in feed, and the refrigeration of feed fabricated to contain 60 mg MT/kg maintained acceptable MT concentrations during 6 mo of storage.     

Texture and chemical composition of soils from shrimp ponds near Choluteca, Honduras

Analyses of bottom soils from three recently-established (newer) and three older ponds on each of two, semi-intensive shrimp farms near Choluteca, Honduras, revealed that the 0 to 2.5 cm layer had greater concentrations of most variables than deeper layers. Concentrations of total carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorus, calcium, iron, manganese, and zinc were greater in older than in newer ponds on one or the other of the farms. After 8–11 y of continuous production, total carbon concentrations varied over pond bottoms, and concentrations usually were greatest (1.5–2.5%) in inlet sections. Nitrogen concentrations were about 20% those of carbon and changes in nitrogen concentration closely followed those of carbon. Precipitation of iron pyrite (FeS₂) in anaerobic soil layers was the apparent cause of sulphur accumulation in older ponds. Phosphorus accumulated in older ponds on the farm where heavy doses of fertilizer were applied. Soils of both older and newer ponds on both farms had large accumulations of major cations, a large portion of which were water-soluble salts. There was no evidence of development of adverse soil quality in older ponds.     

Solubility of Selected Inorganic Fertilizers in Brackish Water

Abstract.— Diammonium phosphate, monoammonium phosphate, triple superphosphate, and urea were dropped through a 1-m column of water which ranged from 0 to 40 ppt salinity. Mean solubility of nitrogen was 4.1% from diammonium phosphate, 11.8% from monoammonium phosphate, and 76.8% from urea. Mean solubility of phosphorus was 4.6% from diammonium phosphate, 10.4% from monoammonium phosphate and 4.4% from triple superphosphate. Salinity did not significantly affect the solubility of nitrogen and phosphorus from diammonium phosphate. Nitrogen solubility from monoammonium phosphate and phosphorus solubility from triple superphosphate significantly decreased with increasing salinity, but the correlations were low. Urea solubility, and phosphorus solubility from monoammonium phosphate responded curvalinearly to increasing salinity. Solubility differences caused by salinity disappeared after 24 h of contact with water when all fertilizers dissolved completely regardless of salinity. No adjustment for salinity is necessary when fertilizer rates are calculated for brackish water or marine application.     

Acclimation of Litopenaeus vannamei Postlarvae to Low Salinity: Influence of Age, Salinity Endpoint, and Rate of Salinity Reduction

Abstract.— Inland culture of Liropenaeus vannarnei in low salinity well waters is currently conducted on a small scale in a few areas in the U.S. To successfully rear shrimp in low salinity water, postlarvae (PL) must be transferred from high-salinity larval rearing systems to low-salinity growout conditions. To determine effective transfer methods, a series of experiments were conducted under controlled conditions to evaluate the influence of PL age, rate of acclimation, and salinity endpoint on 48 h survival of shrimp. Three age classes of L. vannurnei PL (10, 15, and 20-d) were acclimated from a salinity of 23 ppt to treatment endpoint salinities of 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 ppt. Survival of PL₁₀ acclimated to 0, 1, or 2 ppt salinity was significantly lower than survival of PL acclimated to salinities of 4, 8, and 12 ppt. Survival of PL, and PL₂₀ shrimp was only reduced for the 0 ppt salinity treatment, thus indicating a clear effect of age on salinity tolerance. The same age classes of PL were acclimated from 23 ppt to final salinity endpoints of I or 4 ppt at three different rates of salinity reduction: low, 19%/h; medium, 258/h, and high, 478/h. Survival was not significantly influenced by the acclimation rates for any of the three PL age classes. As in the fixed rate experiments, survival of the 10-d-old PL was significantly lower for shrimp acclimated to the 1 ppt endpoint compared to the 4 ppt endpoint. Under the reported conditions, age appears to influence PL tolerance to a salinity end-point. A 10-d-old PL can be acclimated to 4 ppt with good survival, whereas 15- and 20-d-old PL can be acclimated to a salinity of 1 ppt with good survivals.     

Comparative Production of Colossoma macropomum and Tilapia nilotica in Panama

The production of Colossoma macropomum (tambaquí), a relatively little studied fish from the Amazon and Orinoco basins, was compared with that of Tilapita nilotica , a fish well known for its good production characteristics. The experimental design was randomized and arranged in 2 × 2 factorial with each species being tested at 2,500 and 10,000 fish/ha. Treatments were replicated three times. Fingerlings (22–31 g) were stocked into 870 m² earthen ponds, fed a commercial diet (25% protein), and harvested after 129 days. Mean yield (kg/ha) for tilapia at high and low density was 3,361 and 917, respectively, and for colossoma was 3,682 and 977, respectively. The yield difference between species was not significant ( P > 0.05) while the difference between densities was highly significant ( P < 0.01). Although yield was not different for the species, tambaquí weight gain was significantly greater than that of adult tilapia because of reproduction in the tilapia ponds. Mean tilapia and tambaquí weight gains (g) for low density were 379 and 471, respectively, and 321 and 395, respectively, for high density. Increasing the stocking density fourfold resulted in an almost fourfold increase in net yield for both species, although individual weight gains were not significantly affected. There was no interaction between species and density for the production characteristics studied.
This study concluded that under culture conditions that included a short growth period, high quality rations, and stocking rates up to 10,000/ha, production of tambaquí was equal to, or better than that of tilapia. Also, stocking rates lower than 10,000/ha would result in lower yields of both species while not producing a significantly larger fish.     

Human Food Safety and Environmental Assessment of the Use of 17α-Methyltestosterone to Produce Male Tilapia in the United States

Sex reversal of early life stage tilapia (approximately 7–12 d post-hatch, total length averaging 9–11 mm, and total weight averaging 10–15 mg) is used commonly to produce populations of fish comprised of > 5% phenotypic females. The synthetic androgen, 17α-methyl testosterone (MT), is used to effect sex reversal in tilapia. This paper evaluates environmental impact and human food safety aspects of MT use for tilapia sex reversal based on a review of the scientific literature and on dilution models of farm discharge.
Effect of MT treatment on human food safety was evaluated by regression analysis of radioactivity depletion data and by dilution through growth analysis. Results show that the proposed use of MT for sex reversal of early life stage tilapia presents no negative effects on human food safety. Regression analysis of available depletion data from tilapia shows that whole-body concentrations of MT and metabolites in tilapia attain levels of <100 pg/g after 8 to 40 d of withdrawal, and that achievement of <10 pg/g of MT and metabolites in carcass tissue occurs after 6 to 50 d of withdrawal. These concentrations are attained well before completion of the FDA-required 120-d withdrawal period following MT treatment.
Standardized calculations were made to estimate MT concentration in effluents based on stocking rate and water exchange. Guidelines are provided for management of farms to ensure that effluent MT concentration remains < 1 μg/L. Given the expected concentration of MT in any farm effluents, the rapid dilution of effluent MT to very low levels in receiving waters, the sensitivity of MT to photo-oxidation, the expected rapid bacterial degradation of MT, and the limited total use of MT in the United States, we concluded that the use of MT-treated feed according to the proposed protocol will not cause significant adverse environmental effects.     

Pond Bottom Soil Respiration during Fallow and Culture Periods in Heavily-Fertilized Tropical Fish Ponds

Benthic respiration in two fish culture ponds at Comayagua, Honduras, was below 1g CO₂/m² per day during culture periods. When ponds were drained for fish harvest, bottom soils were exposed to the air, and soil respiration rates as high as 10g CO₂/m² per day were recorded. High rates of soil respiration following removal of saturated conditions declined as labile organic matter was consumed and soil moisture content declined. Laboratory studies showed that the moisture content greatest for soil respiration was near saturation, and either drying soils or completely saturating them drastically reduced respiration. Although soil respiration rates were much greater during the fallow period than during the culture period, more organic matter was decomposed during the culture period because it was much longer (5 months) than the fallow period (2 weeks).     

Semi-Intensive Commercial Grow-Out of Penaeus vannamei Fed Diets Containing Differing Levels of Crude Protein During Wet and Dry Seasons in Honduras

Shrimp were grown under ideal management conditions during two distinct seasons of the year at stocking densities used most often in Honduras with the objective of evaluating the usefulness of high protein diets. A randomized design in 2 × 2 factorial arrangement was used to test a diet composed of either 20 or 40% crude protein in earthen ponds that were stocked with juvenile Penaeus vannamei at 5 to 11/m². The study was repeated during wet and dry seasons. Dietary protein level had no significant effect ( P > O .05) on survival, yield, or average weight of shrimp at either density during either season. Higher stocking rates yielded significantly greater shrimp production during both seasons. Mean shrimp weight in high density ponds was significantly lower than mean shrimp weight in low density ponds during the wet season, but there was no significant weight difference because of stocking density during the dry season. Mean survival was significantly lower at the higher stocking rate during the dry season. Net income was negative during the dry season, particularly at the high stocking density. Mean production was 240% greater in the wet season than in the dry season. Diets offered P. vannamei stocked at 5 to 11/m² should contain no more than 20% protein, regardless of season. Higher dietary protein levels increase costs and waste nitrogen without resulting in greater shrimp yields. The high stocking density might increase profitability in the wet season, but long term sustainable production may be more feasible at lower stocking rates because of reduced nutrient wastes.