Initial Weight Sampling

Today is weight sampling day.

As I mentioned earlier not having a JRF means we have to use one of the 12 production ponds and stock it intensely with the post larvae until we can grow them to the 5 gram stocking weight our protocols require. Then once the juveniles are at an average of 5 grams of live weight we move them to the actual grow out ponds in the proper densities and begin a strict nutritional regimen designed to maximize growth and survival.

Today’s weights show an average of 2.5 grams indeed almost 3 grams per juvenile, which is actually phenomenal for our inaugural batch of larvae. The shrimp are very robust and active.

They look very healthy and non-stressed and most important their weights are excellent.

They are definitely getting there. “There” in this case means ready for the actual stocking for grow out and harvest.

Water temperatures in the ponds are a bit lower then I like as we have had both cool and cloudy weather the past week here at the site. While not lethal when the pond water temperature hits around 26 C it does slow down the metabolic rate of the shrimp thus slowing growth.

Once we get the boiler installed (scheduled before Christmas) and can stabilize pond water temperatures we should get growth rates equal or better then those we saw in Gulfport and later South Africa.

We have changed virtually all of the protocols that were used in South Africa.

Having had the project literally “high-jacked” from our management team and having our designs ignored made the work done at Coega in 2007 and 2008 virtually worthless from an operating and design perspective.

In this production greenhouse the fundamental designs of the system have now been changed and we are now back in conformity with my original vision developed in the early days in Mississippi.

Most importantly, having these initial results this positive prove the system methodology is sound.

We have the world’s only commercially viable re-circulating bio-secure aquaculture system in operation. Not bad, given where we were ten months ago.