Management strategies for production of the Atlantic white shrimp Penaeus setiferus as bait shrimp in outdoor ponds

The geographic distribution of the Atlantic white shrimp Penaeus setiferus is in coastal waters from New York to Florida and around the Gulf of Mexico. Beside its value to commercial fisheries, this shrimp is sold as bait for recreational fishing. Previous data suggest that demand for live bait shrimp cannot be satisfied by commercial fleets. A 120-d trial was designed to study production of bait size P. setiferus at high densities in eight small outdoor ponds in south Texas. A 2(4-1) fractional factorial design was applied to study the effects of postlarval (PL) density (350 and 700 shrimp/m(2)), feed type (A and B), and water circulation methods (with and without airlift pumps or center pond dividers) on shrimp growth, survival and yield. No significant differences in survivals or yields were found between treatments (P = 0.2), Feed type (P = 0.011), airlift pumps (P = 0.021), and center dividers (P = 0.026), had significant impacts on shrimp growth rates. Density effect on growth was not statistically significant (P = 0.055). This study demonstrated that 6-d-old postlarvae can be stocked at 700 per square meter and reached a bait size (6.2 g) in 94 d with a 73.6% survival and a yield equivalent to 31,300 kg/ha when offered a commercial shrimp feed. A preliminary economic analysis based on this data suggests that operating a bait shrimp farm in Texas with two crops/yr will, show profitability within 7 to 12 yr with an internal rate of return of 6.5 and 17.6%, respectively.