Response of juvenile brown tiger shrimp (Penaeus esculentus) to intensive culture conditions in a flow through tank system with three-dimensional artificial substrate

Brown tiger shrimp (Penaeus esculentus) were grown from PL16 (16-day-old postlarvae) at low density (400 shrimp m−3) for 61 days or at high density (1430 shrimp m−3) for 75 days. The shrimp were cultured in a raceway (10,500 L) subdivided into six independent, flow through tanks (1750 L). Artificial substrates (buoyant and non-buoyant) placed within the tanks provided a 3-dimensional habitat. Shrimp growth and survival performance was compared at the two stocking densities for three replicate tanks. Growth and survival were significantly higher (P < 0.05) when stocked at low density. Shrimp grew to a mean weight of 1.0 g in approx. 49 days at low density and 70 days at high density. When harvested after 61 days, shrimp at low density reached a mean weight of 1.73 ± 0.01 g with a survival of 89.0 ± 7.0%, which equated to a mean harvest density of 355 ± 27.8 shrimp m−3 and a mean biomass of 0.62 ± 0.05 kg m−3. When harvested after 75 days, shrimp at high density reached a mean weight of 1.48 ± 0.21 g with a survival of 59.8 ± 6.0% and, although the survival was significantly less than the low density, a significantly higher (P < 0.05) mean harvest density (854.9 ± 85.1 shrimp m−3) and mean biomass (1.23 ± 0.06 kg m−3) was produced. The results of this study indicate that P. esculentus has potential for intensive production in tank systems with artificial substrates.