SHRIMP FARMING IN ST.

LUCIA - A
MAJOR BOOST TO AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION
By : Frank Girard

Saint Lucia has a premier opportunity to expand existing

aquaculture production and develop new aquaculture
industries to serve national needs and possibly the regional
marketplace. Aquaculture is poised to become a major
growth industry of the 21st century, given the latest advances
in technological developments in aquaculture introduced by
the Taiwanese Technical Mission to the St. Lucian Government.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Fisheries & Forestry is
seeking to facilitate improved communication and interaction
among aquaculture producers and the aquaculture
community in general. The Ministry is also conducting
investigations of new aquaculture products or processes that
demonstrate a high potential for commercialization; market
development programs for new or improved aquaculture
products or processes; activities that have a strong potential
to create employment opportunities involving aquaculture;
and other activities that accelerate the commercialization of
promising aquaculture technologies in St. Lucia.
A new thrust is being made by the ministry to promote
sustainable aquaculture development in St Lucia; the extent
to which the proposal includes participation with private
aquaculture farms or businesses on the island.
On Wednesday April 22nd, 2009, Minister for Agriculture, Lands,
Fisheries & Forestry, Ezechiel Joseph, led a delegation to a
Demonstration Shrimp Farm owned by Mr. Elford Bradley of
Forrestiere. He has engaged in shrimp farming for several years
dating back to the early 1970s. According to Mr. Bradley : “I now
have 1.6 acres under aquaculture and operating six ponds all
together.” He disclosed however, that the government-operated
Aquaculture Hatchery at Union Agricultural Station is expected to
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 assist him and other aquaculture farmers with the provision of the
right feed for their shrimp farms, which harvest in excess of One
Million baby shrimps per year. The price of the Shrimp better
known as “prawns” ranges between EC$25 to $35 per pound.

Minister Joseph said, there is great prospect in the aquaculture

industry and the government would provide the necessary support
to St. Lucian aquaculture farmers, who now number 75 island-
wide.
There was also a serious concern about the need to market their
products as well as to supply adequate amounts to the local market.
The St. Lucia fish Marketing Corporation is poised to assist in this
regard.
The Demonstration Shrimp Farm was also visited by the Head Of
the Taiwanese Technical Team to St. Lucia, Mr. Sunny Shaw, who
spoke eloquently about the construction of the modern Aquaculture
Hatchery at Union. He said, Taiwan had many years of experience
in aquaculture development and production. He noted, that St.
Lucia stands to benefit greatly from the transfer of technology in
aquaculture. Mr. Shaw noted the weakness in providing adequate
feed to shrimp farms on the island. He is confident that this
challenge will be met shortly when the new Aquaculture
Hatchery becomes fully operational, by supplying more nutritious
ingredients.
The visit to Elford Bradley’s Demonstration Shrimp Farm was
quite an eye-opener, especially the first-hand harvesting
techniques demonstrated to the visitors.
Meanwhile, United States aquaculture provides wholesome
products for domestic consumers and contributes
significantly to employment opportunities and the quality of
life in rural communities in the United States. In 1983, United
States aquaculture production was 308,400,000 pounds with
a farm gate value of $261,000,000. In 1994, the industry

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 produced 666,000,000 pounds with a farm gate value of
$751,000,000.
Aquaculture accounted for approximately 6 percent of the
total United States fish and shellfish harvest in 1994.
In 1994, per capita consumption of aquatic foods in the
United States was 15 pounds per person per year.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations has identified aquaculture as one of the world's
fastest growing food production activities.
The world production of aquaculture doubled from
10,000,000 metric tons in 1984 to 21,300,000 metric tons
in 1995, with a value of approximately $40,000,000,000.
Demand for aquaculture foods is projected to double by
2025.
MARICULTURE :
In the meantime, the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands,
Fisheries & Forestry is exploring the possibility of
introducing mariculture to Saint Lucia, particularly spiny
lobsters.
Mariculture is the farming of aquatic plants and animals in
salt water. Thus, mariculture represents a subset of the larger
field of aquaculture, which involves the farming of marine
organisms for food. The major categories of mariculture species
are seaweeds, mollusks, crustaceans, and finfish.
Recent information indicates that the total amount of seafood
(including fresh-water species and aquatic plants) is about 140
million metric tons annually. Over 20 percent of the total comes
from aquatic plants (mostly seaweeds). Marine fish account for
only 2 percent of the total.
Mollusks (clams, oysters, abalone, scallops, and mussels)
represent the most important species cultured in marine waters.
Seaweeds (brown, red, and green) are a close second. While most
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people do not think that they eat much (or any) seaweed, extracts
from seaweeds can be found in everything from toothpaste and ice
cream to automobile tires. Seaweeds themselves are dried and
used directly as human food in many parts of the world.
Crustaceans include shrimp, crabs, lobsters, and crayfish. While
shrimp culture has become a major industry in Asia and Latin
American since the early 1980s, global production is far less than
that of mollusks and seaweeds. Marine fish production is even
smaller. Top finfish groups include Atlantic salmon, milkfish, sea
bream, sea bass, red drum, yellowtail, striped bass, and hybrid
striped bass.
The top mariculture-producing countries include the following :
Country Species Produced
China mollusks, shrimp
Japan algae, mollusks, yellowtail, sea bream
Taiwan mollusks, shrimp, eels
Philippines algae, shrimp, milkfish
United States mollusks, shrimp, Atlantic salmon, red drum
Norway salmon
Ecuador shrimp
Republic of Korea algae, mollusks
Indonesia algae, shrimp, milkfish

Types of Operations
Various levels of technology are involved in mariculture, the
lowest giving nature the major role in producing the crop. The
culturist may help prepare the growing area but does little else.
For example, oyster culturists may place old shells on the bottom
to provide places for a new generation of oysters to attach. The

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oysters feed on wild phytoplankton and are harvested when
they reach the proper size. The next level would be to spawn
oysters in a hatchery and allow the larval oysters (called spat) to
settle on oyster shell, after which the shell is placed on the oyster
bed in bays or suspended on ropes from a raft. Mussels and
scallops also can be grown on ropes below rafts.

Ponds.
Shrimp and various species of marine fishes are often grown in
ponds. The young shrimp and fish are usually produced in
hatcheries, though collection of young animals from nature has
been used in the past and is still used in some cases. The ponds
may be filled with sea water by pumping water, or through tidal
flow (the farmer opens the floodgate when the tide is rising and
closes it when the pond is full). Depending on the particular
species being produced and the size at stocking, the time required
for the animals to reach market size can range from a few months
to nearly 2 years.
Pens and Cages.
In addition to ponds, marine fish also are being reared in floating
pens or cages in protected bays.* Most cultured salmon are
produced in these types of facilities, primarily in Norway, Canada,
the United States, Scotland, and Chile. Various other fish species
also are being produced in pens and cages in Japan, Europe, and
the Middle East. In recent years, there has been interest and a
limited amount of activity associated with cage culture in offshore
waters.
Indoor Facilities.
The highest level of technology is associated with indoor facilities
in which the animals are grown in raceways or tanks (circular
raceways) that receive pumped seawater that may be taken
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directly from the ocean. The water may be flowed through the
tanks and discarded, or it may be recirculated, that is, reused by
passing it through an elaborate water treatment system. Marine
species can be reared to market size in such facilities, but they are
most commonly used as hatcheries and to hold broodstock (adults
used for reproduction).
Considerations
While a number of species are being reared successfully by
mariculturists, several desirable ones have not yet been produced
economically. This lack of commercial production is because their
life cycles either are difficult to control under culture conditions
or are very complex. In addition, a number of popular food
animals are highly cannibalistic. Various species of crabs and
lobsters, for example, are difficult-to-rear species that also are
cannibalistic.
Opposition to mariculture has developed in several countries
since the 1980s. Many people do not want to see pens and cages in
their bays, and they are concerned about possible environmental
impacts associated with mariculture. Scientists are attempting to
address these and a variety of other issues that have been raised.
The goal is to produce high-quality seafood in an environmentally
responsible manner.
Although world fish production from capture fisheries leveled off
during the 1990s, demand for seafood continues to increase. This
is because of the growth of the human population and also the
view that seafood is healthy food. Scientists believe that natural
production from the ocean will not increase; consequently, if the
demand for seafood by humans is to be met in the future, both
mariculture and fresh-water aquaculture production will have to
increase significantly.

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Obviously, there is a great deal in store for St. Lucian aquaculture
farmers who are willing to take a plunge in this niche market in
the near future. The Ministry stands willing to offer technical
assistance.
ENDS==========(Frank Girard)