Effective knowledge exchange for optimal indoor shrimp farming

 

Katharine Clayton, Grant Stentiford, Simon Webster, Rod Wilson and Rob Ellis

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Whiteleg Shrimp production is one of the most valuable and fastest growing sectors in aquaculture valued at $18,460 million in 2014 (FAO, 2016). However, in order to overcome a disease crisis that is associated with multi-$bn losses in the industry over the past few decades, global shrimp production is evolving with a major shift towards indoor, closed-system production. Whilst the emerging indoor shrimp sector represents an exciting prospect for aquaculture worldwide, potentially negating the effects of disease incursions, many challenges remain for sustainably intensifying production in closed systems, mainly related to the environmental conditions within such environments. In the UK, there are two indoor shrimp farms that have established recent years, each using a contrasting production system, so-called ‘clearwater’ and ‘biofloc’. Neither system has been comprehensively characterised in terms of physical (e.g pH, CO2, salinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen), or biological (e.g. microbial community) properties. To bridge this information gap, my project has two main aims – 1) to undertake comprehensive profiling of physical and microbiological conditions within these farming systems, and 2) to train farm operators in application of physical and microbiological sampling protocols to these systems (samples that I will later analyse at Exeter). Such an approach will engage industry stakeholders in the research required to optimise close-system farming of shrimp, will build my relationship with project partners, and will establishe a model for industry-academia-Govt. collaboration in sustainable aquaculture. It also minimises subsequent researcher travel, key under the current climate emergency. The knowledge exchange component will investigate a range of media including modern poster (as presented here), video and written text to appraise effective communication strategies for such a project.