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September | October 2011

Feature title: Aquate Shrimp helps provide economic benefit to shrimp farmers in Honduras

The International magazine for the aquaculture feed industry

All significant commercial shrimp farming is based on the penaeid species with the Whiteleg or Pacific white

shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone) being the most important shrimp species farmed today.

This native Latin American species was introduced to Asia in 1978 and has spread throughout SE Asia. According to FAO statis-tics total world aquaculture production in 2008 was 2.26 million tonnes with an approximate value of US$9 billion.

Shrimp farming began in Honduras in 1973 and grew rapidly in the 1980s.

Today Honduras has established itself as the leading producer of pond –raised shrimp in Central America with the Pacific white shrimp being the preferred species.

The artificial ponds are mainly located in the Gulf of Fonseca with approximately 18,000 hectares of water surface area under pro-duction by artisanal, small and medium sized companies as well as larger extension com-panies.

Production in 2009 saw record increases o f 40 percen t , however the recent 2010 production season was affected by changes in the larvae sowing season and excessive rains affecting the cultiva-tion areas.

The goal for 2010 w a s , a c c o r d i n g to t he execu -tive director of the National Aquaculture Association of Honduras, to sell 45 million pounds of shrimp. The production units, as well as generating export income, provide 27,000 direct and indirect jobs of which 40 percent are female workforce benefiting about 170,000

people (Republic of Honduras, National Program for Investment Promotion 2010).

The largest export volumes of shrimp go to the USA and Europe but the market in South America is increasing.

Stabilisation of productionThe Pacific white shrimp has proved itself to

be a hardy species with a very good growth potential. Domestication, genetic selection and disease control of the stocks have been the main key criteria in the stabilisation of produc-tion and increasing survival rates.

Further realization of the genetic potential of stocks will be possible in the future by cul-turing in controlled pond environments with improved biosecurity, good oxygen levels and exclusion of predators.

Falling prices, which were a major feature in the shrimp markets from the mid-1990s to 2005, have changed the nature of shrimp farming in Central America. The farmers in Honduras, as elsewhere, are today very aware about their production costs, their efficiency of input utilization and their profita-bility. The uncertainties and risks asso-

ciated with the industry have seen them re-eval-uate their traditional man-agement practises.

In some regions there is still a belief that natural feed in the water can provide at least part of the nutritional require-ments of the shrimp.

However, most farmers are moving to provide the full feed requirement of the shrimp in semi-inten-sive ponds with a feeding frequency of 3-4 times

per day. They are using a higher protein diet (30-35%) for the first 30 days of production and then moving to a lower protein diet for the rest of the produc-tion period.

Protein levels of 28-30 percent are common in this secondary production period and may even go as low as 25 percent.

Health managementEducation in good management practices par-

ticularly with respect to health management and feeding of shrimp combined with a better understanding of the species requirements are essential for the farmer and for the further devel-opment of the industry.

New concepts in feed formulation to improve gut structures provide essential nutrients and minerals offer the farmer tools enabling them to improve their production performance.

By growing shrimp faster with higher survivals and with less feed loss and lower feed conversion rates will gives farmers an economic benefit.

Alltech has been working closely with farmers producing shrimp in semi-intensive ponds in Honduras in Central America using an AquateTM shrimp formulation.

A combination of yeast technologies, for-mulated under the name of AquateTM, have

Aquate Shrimphelps provide economic benefit to shrimp farmers in HondurasBy Mario Roman, Aquaculture Technical Manager for Latin America, Alltech Inc, Chile

36 | InternatIOnal AquAFeed | September-October 2011 September-October 2011 | InternatIOnal AquAFeed | 37

F: Aquate Shrimp

Table 1: Average Results of 2010, comparing 1 hectare

Treatment

Control Aquate shrimp

Unit comparison 1 1

Density seeded (Pls/M2) 15.0 15.0

Quantity of Pls seeded 150,000 150,000

Harvest data

% survival 55% 65%

Weight at harvest (gms) 19 19

Average growth/week 1.05 1.05

No weeks of production 18 18

Days in production 127 127

Density at harvest (shrimps/M2) 8.3 9.8

Pounds biomass - whole shrimp 3,453 4,080

Lbs of feed 5,870 6,936

Feed conversion rate 1.70 1.70

IAF11.05.indd 36 02/09/2011 09:26

provided benefit through the improvement of biomass production, feeding efficiency and boosting of natural defense mechanisms in aqua-culture species. The Aquate shrimp formulation was designed to supply a source and balance of essential amino acids and improve gut health and the attractability and palatability of the diet.

In 2010, ICASUR a 350-hectare farm located in San Lorenzo produced 95 percent of their production of 247,950lbs using the Aquate

Shrimp formulation. The Aquate Shrimp was added to their

normal commercial diet at an inclusion rate of one percent. The production results of the 2010 season were processed, by Mr Benito Gomez Financial Manager of ICASUR, to calculate the economic benefit of using Aquate Shrimp.

In order to take account of the different size ponds used during the production process the results were calculated per one hectare and these are shown in Table 1.

The use of Aquate Shrimp resulted in a statis-tically significant increase in survival (P<0.05) in the treatment ponds over the controls ponds and this average out at a 10 percent increase over the production season.

The total production per hectare was improved by 18 percent in the Aquate Shrimp ponds in comparison with the control ponds. When the economic benefit was calculated by ICASUR the net increment was calculated at US$0.30 per pound of shrimp produced.

Other farms in the region have reported that the use of Aquate Shrimp has resulted in increased diet attractability, which in turn has increased growth rates, with average growth rates of 1.71g/week being reported by some farmers.

By increasing the diet attractability less feed wastage occurs and the higher growth rates observed reduces the number of days to harvest. Similarly improvements in FCR of between 6-10 percent have been reported.

The feeding regime and strategy of the farm will play a significant role in the results obtained by the farmer.

However, careful feed management and the use strategies such as the Aquate Shrimp concept have been proved to give the farmers an economic benefit resulting from improved feed intake, higher growth and lower feed con-version ratio.

About the authorMario Roman qualified in veterinary

medicine specialising in poultry virology and monogastric nutrition. He has worked extensively within the animal feed industry in Chile. Currently he is working for Alltech Inc as Aquaculture Technical Manager for Latin America where he works with farmers and feed mills focusing on the practical use of Alltech’s products for fish and shrimp.

36 | InternatIOnal AquAFeed | September-October 2011 September-October 2011 | InternatIOnal AquAFeed | 37

F: Aquate Shrimp

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egg and larva production

Energy efficiency improving and pellet uniformity control in the

extrusion of aquafeed

BIOMET Zn Aqua:A organic zinc source for aquaculture practices

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of essential amino acid requirements of fish

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