stocking was done using the same commercial 35% crude protein
crumbled feed that had been used at the end of the nursery phase.
Treatment feeds were offered from day 21, when it was estimated that
shrimp had reached N1 g of weight. Maximum feed inputs were set at
94.4 kg of feed ha−1 day−1 at the 5th week for the highest density of
shrimp then feed inputs were reduced based on estimated survival rate
of 75% in each pond for the whole culture period which equaled a
mortality rate of 1.47% per week. Shrimp growth was monitored on a
weekly basis by determining the averageweight in a sample of 70 to 100
animals per pond. Sampling was carried out by capturing shrimp by
seine during the first two weeks and by cast net (monofilament net,
1.22m radius and 0.95 cm opening) for the remainder of the culture
period. Feed was used to bait the shrimp when sampling.
Shrimp were harvested over a four day period, following 16 weeks
of pond culture (110–113 days). Feed inputs were stopped one day
before harvesting a given pond. The night before harvest, two thirds of
the water from each pond was drained and aeration provided using
paddlewheel aerators to keep shrimp alive and minimize erosion of
pond bottoms. On the day of harvest, shrimp were pumped from the