Adam Rana, Colby College

Date of Award

1998

Document Type

Honors Thesis (Open Access)

Department

Colby College. Biology Dept.

Advisor(s)

(unknown)

Abstract

This paper examines the impetus for the development and subsequent rise of the shrimp aquaculture industry and continues by exploring a model that seeks to improve shrimp farmers' harvests by identifying specific variables affecting shrimp growth. Evidence reviewed from 1980 through today suggest that technological advancements, reduced prices, and increases in both the supply and demand for shrimp are positively associated with the industry's rapid ascent. The introduction of vertically integrated shrimp farms along with the ability for shrimp farmers to differentiate their products are also correlated with the industry's growth. Variables affecting shrimp growth were also studied to determine which ones significantly affected growth, with the objective being to enable farmers to move accurately manipulate those variables to achieve improved harvests. Data from a 1997 harvest was taken from one farm located in Belize and suggests four factors: two feed types, water temperature, and water salinity, all significantly affect shrimp growth. The week number the shrimp were in the pond and the physical pond the shrimp were grown in also significantly affect shrimp growth. The results for feed type, temperature, and salinity support previous studies that have looked at these variables and found them to significantly affect shrimp growth. The findings on week number and pond number open up a new area of study to improve shrimp growth performance.

Keywords

Shrimp culture, Shrimp industry

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