In the future, aquaculture production will play a major role in meeting the nutritional demands of the population, contributing to food security worldwide. Over the last ten years, aquaculture has grown at a rate slightly over 5%/year, which is not enough to meet protein demands for 2050. This means that sustainable and economically viable intensified systems are necessary. A high-production scenario for aquaculture will decrease seafood prices significantly (around 25%) and increase their consumption. This also requires incorporation of new production areas, as Asia generates over 90% of total output, while there is enormous potential in other regios. In Northwest Mexico, shrimp farms have been using semi-intensive systems based on water exchange over the last 20 years. The industry faces severe challenges due to the presence of diseases (WSSV, EMS), increases in production costs and lack of environmental sustainability.
CIBNOR has been working with producers in Baja California Sur, a state located in the desert belt of Northwest Mexico where, production to 2013 averaged 20 tons/ha/cycle in 2 cycles/year, using 30 hp/ha of aeration and 25% water exchange. Nevertheless, disease problems (WSSV, AHPND) have limited production since. To improve biosecurity, and reduce water exchange costs, we evaluated changes in water quality, annual yields and production costs in two photoheterotrophic rearing cycles (spring-summer, summer-fall). We then established economic viability of the production strategy. We used six 1,000 m2 PVC lined ponds at Biohelis®, the Innovation and Technology Park operated by CIBNOR, with 24 h aeration, that increased, depending on O2 demand, from 20 to 40 hp/ha. There was no water exchange, but filtered seawater was incorporated in weekly pulses, for an equivalent of less than 2%/day, to maintain water level. A 35% crude protein diet was fed 2 times/day. Stocking rate was 120 Pl/m2. Spring-summer yields of L. vannamei after 105 days reached 13,400 + 233 kg/ha/cycle with a mean final weight of 13.33 + 0.35 g. Yields for the summer-fall cycle reached 17,900 + 530 kg/ha, in 90 days. Mean final shrimp weight was 18.60 + 1.07 g. A stochastic model was fitted to the growth, mortality and food conversion curves, production costs were incorporated and sale prices determined income. Economic variables and financial indicators for each cycle are presented. Implications for the consolidation of intensive shrimp culture in semiarid areas are discussed.