Shrimp farming with pen enclosures in south Brazil.

Abstract Native shrimp farming has been considered as an important alternative source of income for artisanal fishers and farmers in the Patos Lagoon estuary, southern Brazil. Considering the potential of estuarine areas for shrimp farming, the application of a low-cost structure to culture shrimp such as a pen is being proposed to complement capture fisheries and agriculture. From an economic standpoint, the use of pens has several advantages over a traditional pond-based culture system as land, water pumping and artificial aeration devices are not required. Relatively inexpensive materials may be employed for pen construction and running costs are minimized by the use of by-products from capture fishing to feed shrimps. These factors represent important points in lowering costs, which may turn small-scale shrimp farming into an economically feasible activity. Although this activity is in its initial stages of development, there is a strong tendency for the spread of this practice in coastal lagoons and estuaries in southern Brazil.