CONACUA (Mexico) Shrimp Farming Conference shows positive results from the 2021 season, despite COVID impact
Last December, one of the most important shrimp farming conferences in the western hemisphere took place in Los Mochis, Mexico. CONACUA 2021 gathered larvae producers, farmers, feed and equipment companies, among other stakeholders of the industry and was again celebrated in-person after it was made virtual-only during 2020.
Attendees agreed that the 2021 season represented a positive trend for the industry, as the sale price of shrimp and farm production rates were above average in comparison to other years. The commercial exhibition area gathered companies that presented shrimp farming products that compose the supply chain. Several companies promoted the use of probiotics and silicate-based fertilizers. Feed companies got the opportunity to showcase their different range of products, from larval feeds to pelleted and extruded grow-out feeds for semi-intensive and intensive systems. Automation and equipment companies also played a big role in the exhibition areas, especially for automatic feeders, as their use is becoming more common due to the technification process of farms and the fact that manufacturers have advanced the technology to adapt it to the farmers needs.
As for the presentations, some of the plenary speakers covered the following topics:
Dr. Francisco Magallon presented the work of GENAMEX, which is a public and private partnership aimed at improving the Mexican shrimp farming industry's genetic response capacity to epidemic diseases, relying on local shrimp genetics that already have an adaptation to the local pathogens and the local environmental conditions. Genetic selection and pathogen challenges are used to increase the response capacity of broodstock.
Dr. Manoj Sherma presented the results of the 2021 season from the perspective of the production from India. Despite good production results and the setbacks presented by the COVID pandemic, Dr. Sherma encouraged producers and retailers to focus on commercial tools such as traceability, ecological certifications, value added products and promoting local/national consumption.
Biologists Luis Tejeda and Roberto Ferron Cosme covered the advantages and disadvantages of super intensive shrimp farming operations in Central America and Chile. These systems, known to be more productive than semi-intensive operations, also present the challenges of requiring more capital investment, qualified personnel, around the clock oversight and quick response backup systems.
Dr. Jesus Zendejas presented the results of the use of different feed ingredients and automatic feeder implementation in shrimp farms, showcasing how continuous dispersion of feed in small quantities improves production rates as opposed to conventional feeding practices. The impact of automatic feeders was reasoned on a greater availability of feed for more individual shrimp and less nutrient leaching.
QB was present at the event, connecting with customers, producers and researchers to promote the use of beneficial bacteria to manage the organic load in ponds, which suppress the capacity of opportunistic pathogens to cause disease outbreaks and improve the overall culture environment.
We will continue to encourage the use of probiotics and bioremediators as tools that improve the environmental performance of aquaculture operations, reduce the need for antibiotic use and increase the health of the cultured organisms.
