Shrimp size is an important parameter in cultivation and harvest. Within one cycle, farmers usually aim for a specific size of shrimp, hence it is essential for you to know how to calculate shrimp size.
By understanding how to calculate shrimp size and knowing the exact numbers, you will be able to plan feed management better and determine the optimal price at harvest. You can save money on feed and sell your shrimp at best prices.
However, before figuring out how to calculate shrimp size, you have to understand what shrimp size is. Check out the discussion below.
What is Shrimp Size?
Shrimp size is closely related to the amount of shrimp and becomes a benchmark for profits in one cycle. Here’s the short explanation:
An indicator of the amount of shrimp in 1 kilogram
A shrimp's size is determined by counting how many shrimp there are in every one kilogram. For instance, if you find a size 50 shrimp, it means there are 50 shrimp per one kilogram. The smaller the shrimp size number, the heavier and bigger the shrimp.
Benchmark for selling prices
Shrimp size becomes a benchmark for selling prices to suppliers and an estimate of the future profits. Therefore, the smaller the shrimp size number, the higher the selling price and vice versa. For example, size 50 shrimp has a higher price than size 100 shrimp.
The minimal size target of vannamei shrimp
Farmers usually aim for a minimum size of 100 during the first partial harvest. Size 100 shrimp already has a solid economic value and the demand for it is quite high. In addition to size 100, the demand for size 90 to size 50 shrimp on both domestic and export markets is high as well.
How to Calculate Vannamei Shrimp Size?
Once you understand what shrimp size is, you also need to understand how to calculate vannamei shrimp size. Apart from being calculated at harvest, vannamei shrimp size can also be calculated on a certain Day of Culture (DoC) through sampling.
Sampling is the activity of monitoring shrimp condition through multiple samples in feeding trays or nets. This activity is conducted periodically to determine the size, growth rate, Average Body Weight (ABW), and Average Daily Gain (ADG) of the shrimp from time to time. From the sampling results, farmers can also identify potential disease symptoms.
During sampling, you can use the following formula for calculating shrimp size:
For example, a farmer conducted sampling on DoC of 56 days and found that the ABW of his shrimp sample was 10.47 grams. The farmer wanted to know the shrimp size, hence he did the following calculations:
Size = 1,000 grams / 10.47 grams = 95,5
From the calculation above, the shrimp size obtained is 95.5 shrimp/kg.
Conclusion
In vannamei shrimp farming, size is
- A measurement based on the amount of shrimp in every one kilogram
- One of the benchmarks for selling prices
Vannamei shrimp size calculation is done by dividing 1,000 grams by ABW. This calculation can be conducted both at harvest and at periodical sampling.
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