Alternate Culture of White Shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, and Yellowleg Shrimp, Farfantepenaeus californiensis, During the Summer-Fall and Fall-Winter Season in Sonora, Mexico

A study was conducted in Bahia Kino, Sonora, northwestern Mexico, to evaluate the feasibility of alternate culture of white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, and yellowleg shrimp, Farafantepenaeus californiensis, during the summer-fall and fall-winter seasons, respectively. Two stocking densities (20 and 30 shrimp/m²) were evaluated for both species. Results demonstrated that the alternate culture of these two species is feasible and that the culture of yellowleg shrimp did not seem negatively affected by the previous culture of white shrimp, in aspects such as transmission of pathogens or deterioration of water quality. Growth rate (0.88-1.02 g/week), survival (66.7%-77.8%), and yield (2208-2462 kg/ha) of white shrimp were comparable to those reported for most commercial semi-intensive farms. For yellowleg shrimp, during the fall-winter season, the three parameters were lower (0.52-0.44 g/week; 50.2%-52.1%; and 1,260-1,536 kg/ha, respectively). Growth and survival rates of both species were higher at the lower stocking density, but yields were better at the higher density. These findings could contribute to improve the economical feasibility of shrimp culture in non-tropical regions because of the possibility of using the facilities during the fall-winter season when they are usually useless.