| Popis: |
Blue shrimp (Penaeus stylirostris) were cultured in 11 0.1-ha earthen ponds during the spring and summer of 1979 to compare conventional and staggered stocking techniques. Three batches of post-larval shrimp (stocks I, II and III) were stocked at intervals of about 3.5 weeks. Seven thousand eight hundred stock I shrimp were introduced into each of 3 ponds, 7,800 stock II shrimp into each of 3 more ponds, and 2,435 stock III shrimp into each of 2 more ponds. Two additional ponds received approximately equal increments of the 3 batches to reach final stocking densities of 7,635. The final pond received only the first 2 increments for a final stocking density of 5,200. Survival and yield ranges were 18.4–63.2% and 3.3–45.0 kg/0.1 ha, respectively. Ponds that received 3 stocking increments had mean survival rates and yields (36.8%, 32.3 kg/0.1 ha) higher than expected values (32.2%, 22.5 kg/0.1 ha) calculated using the mean values from the single-stocked control ponds. Salinities were near 2 ppt (range, 1–6 ppt) for most of the 53- to 106-day culture period. This may have depressed shrimp growth. |
