An evaluation of stocking density on the intensive production of juvenile brown tiger shrimp ( Penaeus esculentus)

Brown tiger shrimp ( Penaeus esculentus) were intensively grown from PL 17 to approximately 1.0 g in a tank system with artificial substrates (AquaMat®). Shrimp growth and survival performance were compared between shrimp stocked at a density of 5720 and 11,430 m − 3 . Mean shrimp weight was significantly higher ( P < 0.05) after 56 d culture, when stocked at 5720 shrimp m − 3 (1.46 ± 0.11 g) compared to 11,430 shrimp m − 3 (1.04 ± 0.05 g). When harvested after 56 d, shrimp survival was 31.9 ± 12.0% at a density of 5720 m − 3 , which equated to a mean biomass of 2.52 ± 0.81 kg m − 3 . At a density of 11,430 m − 3 , shrimp survival was 21.2 ± 2.7%, which equated to a mean biomass of 2.49 ± 0.19 kg m − 3 . There was no significant difference ( P > 0.05) in survival and biomass between the two stocking densities. Increasing the stocking density from 5720 to 11,430 shrimp m − 3 did not significantly increase shrimp biomass production and resulted in greater production costs and greater risk of losing stock.