manufactured feeds, farm-made feeds and/or live/natural food items.
In general the nutritional performance of a shrimp feed depends upon five
interconnected factors (Figure 1), namely:
• the nutrient content and composition of the diet being fed;
• the physical properties and water stability of the diet being fed;
• the transportation and storage of the diet prior to feeding on the farm;
• the feeding method employed for feed application and usage on the farm; and
• the farming system, stocking density, water management and availability of
natural foods.
Of these, the commercial shrimp feed manufacturer has direct control over the
first two factors, while farmers and their staff have direct control over the last three.
It follows, therefore, that the eventual nutritional performance and economic success
(or failure) of a shrimp feed is dependent upon a close collaboration and partnership
between the feed producer and the farmer and his staff. Shrimp feeds and feeding
usually represent the largest operating costs (typically between 40 and 60 percent) of
most semi-intensive and intensive farming operations (Molina, 2009).