WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • SEPTEMBER 2017 31 for aquaculture of shrimp, molluscs, octopus, marine finfish, seaweed and microalgae in Brazil. Shrimp Farming Farming of marine shrimp in Brazil is carried out semi-intensively with the whiteleg shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei and is mainly located in the northeast, where shrimp is produced in ponds in coastal and inland areas. In 2014, domestic production reached a peak of 90,000 t (Nunes and Rocha 2015) but dropped to 76,000 t in 2015 when White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) impacted production from farms in Rio Grande do Norte state. In 2016, there was a further 25 percent reduction when WSSV outbreaks spread to farms in the state of Ceará, the largest shrimp producer in the country. A fiveyear drought has also led to hypersalinity of culture water, reducing shrimp growth rates and raising FCRs and feed costs. To combat WSSV, different conventional strategies adopted from other countries have been used: (1) reduction of stocking densities to less than 10/m2 in colder months of the year; (2) development of more resistant shrimp strains, and (3) a shift from monoculture to polyculture with tilapia where and when water Brazilian aquaculture has increased by 123 percent over the last 10 years, but there remains a huge potential for further growth. Holding 12 percent of global freshwater resources, a coastline of 8,500 km and an Exclusive Economic Zone of 4.5 million km2 of marine waters, the country has one of the world’s greatest potentials for marine and freshwater aquaculture. With more than 200 million inhabitants, most seafood and aquaculture products produced in the country are absorbed by domestic market demand. According to OECD-FAO, growth in Brazilian per capita fish consumption is expected to be the world’s largest (45 percent), from 10.5 kg from 2011-2013 to 15.3 kg in 2023. Freshwater aquaculture contributes about 84 percent (483,241 t in 2015) of total aquaculture production and 16 percent (90,922 t in 2015) from marine aquaculture (shrimp and molluscs) (IBGE 2016). Brazilian marine aquaculture still is based primarily on a small number of species, most of which are exotic (Camargo and Pouey 2005, Baldisserotto 2009). One predominant worldwide trend in aquaculture is the need to diversify cultured species, with special attention to marine species with high value and secure markets (Globefish 2009). This article describes the possibilities World Food Giant – Brazil Aiming to be One of the Top Five Aquaculture Producers in 2020 Pål Myhre, Alberto J.P. Nunes, Felipe M. Suplicy, Erica A.G. Vidal, Artur N. Rombenso, Leila Hayashi, Fernando T. Kanemoto and João F. N. Matias (CONTINUED ON PAGE 32) LEFT and RIGHT: Tanks and raceway systems used as nurseries in shrimp farming in Brazil. Photo: Alberto Nunes. Lined-intensive shrimp pond in northeast Brazil. Photo: Alberto Nunes.
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