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| Laboratories |
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The facilities of the Semacua laboratory are located near the town
of Salinas, in the southern coast of the Santa Elena Peninsula, at
about 100 kilometers from Guayaquil. The site was chosen due to its climate and the water conditions of the area. |
| Semacua
is basically centered in three activities: 1) The production of about 50 million nauplius per day for the growth of the required seed for our shrimp farms, as well as for selling to third parties. 2) Production of seed for Empagran´s pools and to supply third parties, which are many times customers of the Packing and Feed Divisions. Currently, Semacua can supply 80 to 100 million post-larvae per month. 3) As a research center for development of new technologies for shrimp cultivation as well as others. |
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| Semacua
allows Empagran to have a tight control over the timing supply of
seeds for its fattening operation. Additionally it gives total supervision
over quality of that seed and opportunities to improve the larvae
to be cultivated.
Within Semacua there are divisions dedicated to all the operations
that are part of a successful laboratory integrated to the production
of seeds: - Water Supply All the sea water that goes into Semacua is obtained from taps buried in the sand, underneath the area of the shoal. This water is passed through different stages of filtration, which goes from basic sand filters to systems of activated carbon. There are three complete and redundant systems of filtration and tapping, to ensure a continuous supply and to allow periodical maintenance, as well as any necessary improvement, according to the evolution of treatment technologies. - Maintenance of reproductors The reproductors are kept in selected pools, in some of the farms, as well as in Semacua´s own facilities. These animals can be obtained during our own harvest, selecting any shrimp that show interesting characteristics or they can be acquired at genetic enhancement programs either locally or overseas. Its is required to have several families of reproductors in orders to ensure a healthy genetic diversity. The L. Vannamei, which we grow, reaches its sexual peak at a weight of 30 grams.
Semacua has several maturing halls, each one of them with many pools where individual lots of reproductors are kept. Additionally treated water and special freshly prepared diet food are provided. Specific conditions are controlled, such as illumination and temperature, according to the needs of each gender. In this section the reproducers achieve their sexual peak and are kept under the best conditions for their reproduction during their useful life cycle. The maturation halls are arranged to handle individual genetic lines. A water recirculation system was successfully implemented, which will be of great help to maintain conditions of bio security. - Fertilization/Insemination In Semacua the artificial insemination is used, in which males and females are kept separately. The fertile animals are inspected and selected, extracting the sperm mass which is then placed in female's telycum with minimum and careful handling. The males are then returned to the maturation pools and the females stay at the spawning area.
After the spawning, the eggs are collected and disinfected, taking them to a specially designed birth pool. This allow to collect only the nauplius with more activity to be sown in the larvae culture pools. - Larvae breeding Semacua uses Galveston's method, which functions with relatively high densities, utilizing harsh water rechanges and specialized food, under a strict temperature and feeding control. The production cycle is approximately 18 days. After that production cycle, the pools are carefully cleaned, disinfected and washed. They are filled with water from the system that has been filtered, conditioned and tempered again. Once the conditions are stable, the nauplius are sown and are inoculated with selected microscopic algae. Along the cultivation period the animals go through a metamorphosis of different stages, each of which require different types of food. After bigger species of algae, cultivated rotiferous can be administered, and then live arthemia or in preserved biomass and special degrees of prepared food.
Even though there is a tendency to operate with tamed animals, of closed cycle, there is still the sown of wild shrimp. Some think that this practice will be beneficial foe the maintaining genetic diversity. Currently, wild nauplius are obtained from some suppliers in the areas of Manabi, Esmeraldas and Guayas, frequently several hours away from Semacua. These nauplius must be carefully checked under the microscope, looking for signals of mistreatment during collection and transportation. The proportion of Vannamei related to other unwanted species must be checked as well. It is also necessary to acclimatize and disinfect them, as any possible mortality is observed. Other than that, el cultivation process does not differ from the lab nauplius. - Algae cultivation A stable provision of selected algae is necessary for the feeding of the larvae and particularly for the first critical stages. So a main component of Semacua is its algae hall, which must provide about 50 daily tons of 3 o more types of algae, with a high nutritional content. This section includes a laboratory for pure rootstalks, where the subspecies are cultivated under strict conditions, preventing any contamination. In the areas of production, using those sub cultivations, lots are cultivated in recipients successively bigger to obtain the required quantities per larvae. Semacua prepares its own cultivation medium, including the addition of components to supplement the nutritional quality, according to current technology. There is also a department of arthemia where this costly and critical component of the larvae food is efficiently ecloted.
Since February 2000, Semacua uses pools of the "Raceway" type. The harvested in larvae culture post larvae is cultivated in them until they are of a bigger sizes, under strictly controlled conditions and at high densities, before they are sown in pools. Several benefits are obtained: " The cultivation cycle in the pool is shortened and a better adapted seed is provided for the conditions of the pool. " The total survival is enhanced and the proportion of mortality that occurs in raceway is "cheaper" because it is easily quantifiable and the food is used more efficiently. " It is possible to discard those lots of seeds that do not behave satisfactorily , before using expensive food and pool time on them. At the moment the installation of raceways in the farms is being planned, which will be translated in less transportation costs and a more effective and gradual acclimatization to the water conditions of each farm. |
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