Marine Shrimp Production in a Biofloc System With Artificial Salinization: A Technical and Financial Assessment of Production Viability

Culturing marine shrimp in water with low salinity has been an inland culture tool. However, the difference in the ionic composition of these waters compared to marine waters generates technical and financial uncertainties. Closed systems, specifically the BFT system, have been associated with artificial salinization, due to the more efficient use of inputs. This work aims to report the zootechnical results and show the economic viability of this system. In addition, a scenario analysis was used to characterize possible production and price fluctuations. The zootechnical results of final weight, weekly weight gain, final biomass, feed conversion, survival, and productivity correspond to two production cycles carried out at a density of 210 shrimp.m ^− 3 . Concerning viability indicators, cash flow was used for a 10-year period, with an APR of 13.75% per year to calculate NPV, IRR, IRRM, and PBD. The results showed that at the level of production achieved, there was no viability. However, when taking into account the positive variation in production (15%) and prices (30%), the system becomes viable with the capacity to return the capital invested in four years. Therefore, when considering an investment like this, it is important to consider price variations and the average cost of production, as well as the level of production that will maximize production and financial results.