Effect of Stocking Density on Growth and Survival of Cage Reared Indian White Shrimp Penaeus Indicus (H. Milne Edwards) at Vellar Estuary

To find out optimum stocking density, different stocking densities on the growth, survival and production of Penaeus indicus was studied for 100 days. Five rectangular cages of uniform size (10x5x1.5m) were used for the respective stocking densities of 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50/m2 . Healthy juveniles of size ranging from 2.9 to 3.5 g were used for the respective stocking densities of 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50/m2. Healthy juveniles of size ranging from 2.9 to 3.5 g were stocked as per stocking densities. As the culture period was 100 days, all these cages were changed at every 34 days interval. Even though the higher growth of 24.5g and survival rate of 98.2% was observed in the stocking density of 10/m2, the maximum production rate of 943 g/m2 was reported in the stocking density of 50/m2.