Characterization of water quality factors during intensive raceway production of juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei using limited discharge and biosecure management tools

Disease epizootics have negatively affected production and expansion of the shrimp culture industry. This, along with environmental concerns regarding limited water resources and contamination of receiving streams, has caused the industry to investigate more sustainable and biosecure management practices. A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of limited water exchange on water quality, growth and survival of the Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei postlarvae (PL) in greenhouse-enclosed raceways. Concentrations of NH4-N did not exceed 2.0 mg l−1 during this period; whereas, NO2-N exceeded 26.4 mg l−1, indicating assimilation of primary amines by primary productivity. Periodic removal of suspended solids by a common pressurized sand filter and injection of oxygen into culture water resulted in high-survival rates for both raceways (97.5 and 106.0%) with an average biomass yield of 4.29 ± 0.06 kg m−3. Shrimp samples collected during the nursery trial and at harvest showed no signs of bacterial or viral pathogen infections.