Harvest failure is definitely something that shrimp farmers try to avoid. It results in severe material losses, not to mention the time and energy lost throughout the cycle. This is a serious issue and fear when cultivating.
Are harvest failures always caused by shrimp fry quality?
Harvest failure can be caused by various factors. Unfortunately, a lot of farmers still blame shrimp fry every time they fail. They assume that harvest failure is caused by the declining quality of the fry. In fact, harvest failure is not necessarily caused by shrimp fry quality.
Farmers must find other causes of failure if they order shrimp fry from the same hatchery with consistent quality yet failure still occurs. A possible cause of failure besides shrimp fry is bad weather, as was the case in South Konawe and Bombana Regencies, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. Moreover, the source water’s quality might also be a possible cause of harvest failure.
Checking the source water
It is advisable to check the source water before it is added to the pond to reduce the risk of failure caused by source water. Make sure to identify where the water source comes from since we never know what is in the water.
There is a chance that sterilization has not been done if the water is acquired from the sea. If it comes from a well, there is also a chance that the water is contaminated. Meanwhile, water is an essential aspect in shrimp farming since shrimp live and grow in water. Shrimp cannot grow healthily and are vulnerable to diseases if the water is of poor quality or is not ideal.
It will get worse if any shrimp disease breaks out in the area around the farm. Transmission of the disease is very likely to occur. Farmers must, of course, take measures to avoid this issue.
Using reservoirs
Water issue will get worse if there are no reservoirs on the farm. A reservoir serves to improve the quality of water so that issues related to the aspect can be reduced. It also serves to supply water at the early cultivation period and to replace or add water during cultivation.
The declining quality of shrimp fry is not the only cause of harvest failure because shrimp farming is not based on just one factor. Take preventative measures such as monitoring water quality, implementing biosecurity practices, and managing feed effectively to ensure cultivation goes as desired.
