SBIR-STTR Award

The cultivation of marine shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) inland in brackish geothermal well water is examined. Substantial volumes of brackish geothermal ground water are available in Arizona and elsewhere in the western United States. Most of these wells were developed for irrigation of field crops but were abandoned due to high salinity. Numerous sites possess shallow lift well water with temperature and total dissolved solids suitable for rapid shrimp growth. If mineral profiles of these watcrs are shown to be suitable for penaeid shrimp growth, a substantial shrimp production industry could be implemented. This industry could allow partial or complete import substitution to offset the billion dollars plus a year trade deficit resulting from shrimp imports.The potential commercial application as described by the awardee: The proposed system will establish a potential new source of marine shrimp using agriculture techniques applied to inland locations.