WHAT ARE THE BASICS OF SHRIMP FARMING (OR FISH FARMING)?
Aquaintech Inc. was founded in 1996 by Dr. Stephen G. Newman from the ashes of another company founded in 1991, International Aquaculture Biotechnologies Ltd to develop a shrimp vaccine. Shrimp cannot be vaccinated but it does turn out the parabiotic that he developed worked well in the field and the lab. Unlike most of our competitors in this industry, Dr. Newman did his doctoral thesis on the role of a membrane binding protein that sequesters iron on a plasmid in the virulence of major fish pathogen and went to on to develop, market and sell some of the earliest commercial fish vaccines. Dr. Newman has traveled to more than 50 countries and worked with fish and shrimp farmers at all levels of the production process (www.sustainablegreenaquaculture.com) and some companies that are developing products for the industry.
He has introduced a variety of helpful tools and continues to innovate. In the mid 2000's he partnered with a group that had patented the use of a microbial product in the catfish farming industry. By altering the manner of presentation of the historical approach he was able to demonstrate that the use of a viable tool that could lessen the use of antibiotics and bring greater attention to the concepts of biosecurity and proactive animal health management (as contrasted with reactive disease management). Today, in 2018 the field is filled with corporations who hire "experts" to make themselves experts in aquaculture, when the corporate need for profits is the primary motivation regardless of the cost. Farmers routinely are damaged by this chaotic approach. Caveat emptor.
Tools do not solve problems that are inherent in the production paradigm, regardless of what high priced marketing programs purport.
He has introduced a variety of helpful tools and continues to innovate. In the mid 2000's he partnered with a group that had patented the use of a microbial product in the catfish farming industry. By altering the manner of presentation of the historical approach he was able to demonstrate that the use of a viable tool that could lessen the use of antibiotics and bring greater attention to the concepts of biosecurity and proactive animal health management (as contrasted with reactive disease management). Today, in 2018 the field is filled with corporations who hire "experts" to make themselves experts in aquaculture, when the corporate need for profits is the primary motivation regardless of the cost. Farmers routinely are damaged by this chaotic approach. Caveat emptor.
Tools do not solve problems that are inherent in the production paradigm, regardless of what high priced marketing programs purport.
The farm above is in Belize. This farm operates a semi-intensive production system, with nursery ponds that hold the post larval shrimp for anywhere from a few days to a month before opening the gates between the smaller and larger ponds. These are large ponds although not as large as some and the smaller rectangular nursery ponds are not always used consistently.
Farming shrimp for profit is similar to any other agribusiness except that the crop is under water. Not being able to see your animals and having to rely on external indicators of overall productivity is an element of ones risk. There are several very important steps that you should take before you even think about digging that first hole in the ground or constructing a RAS system indoors or whatever production approach you have elected to take.
Like any business endeavor capital is needed. You will need to pay for shrimp seed, fertilizers if needed and shrimp feed. Buying on credit adds to the cost of production and thus lowers your profit margins. The amount of capital that will be needed is related to the size and scope of the project. Using borrowed money is risky as the volatile nature of farming has shown over and over again.
You will need a location for your operation. You will need access to water. Preferably clean water and in the temperature range that your crop thrives the best at. You will need to get the appropriate government permits for the land use, discharge permits, etc. These will vary from country to country. You also need to be sure that you can legally import the seed stock (nauplii or post larval shrimp) or broodstock. The closer you are to the ideal site in terms of what you need, the better off you will be. This requires a knowledge of the physical geography of the area, the types of ecosystems that are present, access to the water and a myriad of other resources among many other things. Rarely is it simply a matter of putting animals into water and harvesting a crop, although many are familiar with the "honeymoon effect"; first crops are great.
What species are you going to farm? Globally there are many farmed species of crustaceans. The highest annual production is the white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, with almost 4 million MTs a year on the horizon. Next is the tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon, with almost one million MTs a year and then in a strong third position is the freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Where are you going to buy the seed stock that you need from and how are you going to bring it to the site?
Perhaps the most important aspect is that you understand and know your market. Presumably you want to do this to make more money than you spend. Where will you sell your crop? In what form? (filet or whole for fish, heads on or off for shrimp are examples). The more the product is handled the more value is added. Although most farmers typically do not realize much of it unless they are doing the processing and market sales.
Where will the feed come from? Feed costs can be a significant component of your costs of production. How much depends on what you are producing, where you are growing it, stocking densities, the presence of pathogens and stressors and many other things. All feed is not equal and far too many feed companies seem to be more about profits than making sure that the farmer is supplied with the most economical diets. This is not just about costs of the diet. High quality highly digestible diets may cost more per kg but under the right conditions less is needed to produce a kg of shrimp.
With these in mind you have what you need to know to generate a business plan and seek investors to help your dream become reality.
WE DO NOT INVEST AND DO NOT FIND INVESTORS ALTHOUGH WE CAN HELP INVESTORS DECIDE IF THEY SHOULD INVEST
To see some photos about shrimp farms from around the world: go here.
Please visit our other web sites for information about our products: www.aqua-in-tech.com and www.bioremediationaquaculture.com. We feature products for improving water quality, increasing animal health and stress resistance. A wide variety of papers on different aquaculture related subjects can also be found on these sites and for your convenience on this site as well. www.sustainablegreenaquaculture.com and www.holisticaquaculture.com.
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Farming shrimp for profit is similar to any other agribusiness except that the crop is under water. Not being able to see your animals and having to rely on external indicators of overall productivity is an element of ones risk. There are several very important steps that you should take before you even think about digging that first hole in the ground or constructing a RAS system indoors or whatever production approach you have elected to take.
Like any business endeavor capital is needed. You will need to pay for shrimp seed, fertilizers if needed and shrimp feed. Buying on credit adds to the cost of production and thus lowers your profit margins. The amount of capital that will be needed is related to the size and scope of the project. Using borrowed money is risky as the volatile nature of farming has shown over and over again.
You will need a location for your operation. You will need access to water. Preferably clean water and in the temperature range that your crop thrives the best at. You will need to get the appropriate government permits for the land use, discharge permits, etc. These will vary from country to country. You also need to be sure that you can legally import the seed stock (nauplii or post larval shrimp) or broodstock. The closer you are to the ideal site in terms of what you need, the better off you will be. This requires a knowledge of the physical geography of the area, the types of ecosystems that are present, access to the water and a myriad of other resources among many other things. Rarely is it simply a matter of putting animals into water and harvesting a crop, although many are familiar with the "honeymoon effect"; first crops are great.
What species are you going to farm? Globally there are many farmed species of crustaceans. The highest annual production is the white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, with almost 4 million MTs a year on the horizon. Next is the tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon, with almost one million MTs a year and then in a strong third position is the freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Where are you going to buy the seed stock that you need from and how are you going to bring it to the site?
Perhaps the most important aspect is that you understand and know your market. Presumably you want to do this to make more money than you spend. Where will you sell your crop? In what form? (filet or whole for fish, heads on or off for shrimp are examples). The more the product is handled the more value is added. Although most farmers typically do not realize much of it unless they are doing the processing and market sales.
Where will the feed come from? Feed costs can be a significant component of your costs of production. How much depends on what you are producing, where you are growing it, stocking densities, the presence of pathogens and stressors and many other things. All feed is not equal and far too many feed companies seem to be more about profits than making sure that the farmer is supplied with the most economical diets. This is not just about costs of the diet. High quality highly digestible diets may cost more per kg but under the right conditions less is needed to produce a kg of shrimp.
With these in mind you have what you need to know to generate a business plan and seek investors to help your dream become reality.
WE DO NOT INVEST AND DO NOT FIND INVESTORS ALTHOUGH WE CAN HELP INVESTORS DECIDE IF THEY SHOULD INVEST
To see some photos about shrimp farms from around the world: go here.
Please visit our other web sites for information about our products: www.aqua-in-tech.com and www.bioremediationaquaculture.com. We feature products for improving water quality, increasing animal health and stress resistance. A wide variety of papers on different aquaculture related subjects can also be found on these sites and for your convenience on this site as well. www.sustainablegreenaquaculture.com and www.holisticaquaculture.com.
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