SPINY LOBSTER Panulirus argus FARMING IN AQUACULTURE WATER REUSE SYSTEM, USING DIFFERENT TYPES OF ARTIFICIAL SHELTERS

In addition to the overexploitation caused by fishing, the commercial lobster production through aquaculture has been facing a number of challenges, including the development of attractive and nutritionally complete foods, disease control and the definition of structuresfor culture. In the environment, lobsters need structured habitats for their protection and survival. Considering the characteristics of the lobster species of the genus Panulirus and the importance of the shelter for their survival as well as the environmental advantages of the water reuse systems, the objective  of this study is to cultivate juveniles of the P. argus species in different types of shelters in an aquaculture water reuse system.

The experiment lasted 126 days and was carried out in a recirculation system composed of 6 culture tanks with an area of 1.5 m2 each, and a filtration system. 120 lobsters were cultivated with initial mean biomass of 9.91 g and initial mean length of the cephalothorax of 21.98 mm, with 20 individuals/tank. Two different treatments were performed: T-I using bricks as a shelter and T-II using PVC fittings, with 3 tanks and 60 lobsters per treatment. The lobsters were fed with Artemia sp., Litopenaeus vannamei and mussel of the species Perna perna. The biometric control was performed in all individuals through tagging every 14 days , and retagged after each ecdise. The mean values of the water variables were: temperature of 27.02 °C, dissolved oxygen 3.98 mg L^-1, pH 7.38, salinity 33.16 g L^-1, conductivity 52,353.72 μS cm^-1, total ammonia 0.56 mg L^-1, nitrite 4.16 mg L^-1, nitrate 5.40 mg L^-1, phosphate 12.48 mg L^-1, hardness 314.24 mg L^-1 of CaCO₃ and alkalinity 73.83 mg L^-1 of CaCO₃. The Shapiro-Wilk normality test (α ꞊ 0.05) was performed for data analysis. For non-normal values (p <0.05), the Mann-Whitney test (α ꞊ 0.05) was used to compare the averages.

The data of the biometric variables were analyzed by comparing the average of the 2 treatments, and are shown in table I.

There was no statistical difference in the data of any of the biometric variables analyzed. The use of shelters is of vital importance to the success of lobster farming and, despite the lack of statistical evidence in the final result of this research, the complexity of the shelter, with regard to  the options of different dimensions, seems to be better for maintenance of of the species P. argus of lobster in captivity.