From Wine Barrels to Shrimp Tanks – oceanbites

Bendag, S., Barth, A., Nitzsche, J., Schubert, P., Wilke, T. Wood as Alternative Tank Construction Material in Sustainable Shrimp Aquaculture. Aquaculture Research 2026(1), 8342238. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1155/are/8342238

Aquaculture & Pacific White Shrimp

Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms, together with fish, shellfish, and plants. One important department of aquaculture focuses on crustaceans, or the marine invertebrates resembling crabs, lobsters, and shrimp. Among probably the most extensively farmed species is the Pacific white shrimp, a staple of international seafood manufacturing.

Modern shrimp farming more and more makes use of closed aquaculture systems, the place water high quality and environmental circumstances will be tightly managed. While these systems improve effectivity, in addition they rely closely on manufactured supplies with vital environmental footprints.

The Problem with Plastic Aquaculture Tanks

Most closed system aquaculture tanks are bult from fiberglass-reinforced plastic, which is standard as a result of it’s sturdy, corrosion-resistant, sturdy, light-weight, moldable, and comparatively cheap to manufacture. However, fiberglass-reinforced plastic additionally comes with sustainability issues. Producing fiberglass-reinforced plastic is energy-intensive, disposal on the finish of its lifespan will be troublesome, and plastic supplies could contribute to microplastic contamination in aquatic environments. As aquaculture continues increasing to meet growing international food calls for, researchers are searching for sustainable construction supplies that may preserve the high manufacturing efficiencies of fashionable aquaculture systems.

Could Wood Be a Sustainable Alternative?

Wood has long been utilized in functions exterior aquaculture, together with wine and spirit barrels, cheese getting old, and conventional bathtub construction. Historically, wooden was even utilized in aquaculture systems within the early 1900s earlier than plastic.

Wood functions within the food industry may lengthen to shrimp aquaculture. Image drawn by Samantha Glass.

Interestingly, Pacific white shrimp juveniles usually reside in mangrove forests, suggesting that wooden could also be a viable construction materials. Previous research have discovered that wooden could present advantages within aquaculture systems by supporting microbial communities, bettering water high quality, and decreasing ammonia concentrations. Some wooden extractives, or the naturally occurring chemical compounds launched from wooden, resembling ketones, terpenes, and terpenoids, have additionally been related to antioxidant, antiviral, and antimicrobial properties.

But wooden will not be mechanically helpful. Different wooden species include completely different extractives. Some, resembling tannins and tannic acid, negatively impression aquaculture by decreasing food consumption, slowing growth, or decreasing water high quality. Wood sturdiness is one other concern, particularly in humid environments the place coatings or remedies could also be needed. With these tradeoffs, choosing the proper wooden is important.

Testing Wood Tanks for Shrimp Aquaculture

To examine whether or not wooden aquaculture tanks would negatively have an effect on the survival, growth, and feeding traits of shrimp, Bendag and their analysis crew carried out a 42-day laboratory experiment evaluating oak, Douglas fir, and fiberglass-reinforced plastic aquaculture tanks with juvenile Pacific white shrimp (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Experimental setup evaluating (A) fiberglass-reinforced plastic, (B) Douglas fir wooden, and (C) oak wooden. Image from Bendag et al. (2026).

How did the Shrimp Perform?

Researchers evaluated a number of efficiency metrics, together with survival fee, weight gain, particular growth fee, and feed conversion ratio. Shrimp raised within the fiberglass-reinforced plastic tank confirmed highest survival charges, adopted by Douglas fir after which oak (Figure 2). However, these variations weren’t statistically vital.

Figure 2. Survival fee of Pacific white shrimp throughout completely different tank supplies (fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP), Douglas fir wooden, and oak wooden) after 42 days in box and whisker plots. The horizontal line within the box represents the median, the higher and decrease box bounds symbolize first and third quartiles, and the p-value exhibits remedy variations. Differences have been assessed with statistical evaluation, and (a) and (b) point out statistical significance. Image from Bendag et al. (2026).

The identical sample appeared in weight gain and particular growth measurements. The fiberglass-reinforced plastic produced the best weight gain and growth charges, Douglas fir carried out equally, and oak ranked decrease. Again, these growth variations weren’t statistically vital.

The clearest distinction between supplies appeared within the feed conversion ratio, which measures how effectively shrimp convert feed into body weight. Oak wooden had a considerably increased feed conversion ratio in contrast to each the fiberglass-reinforced plastic and Douglas fir systems (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Feed conversion ratio of Pacific white shrimp throughout completely different tank supplies (fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP), Douglas fir wooden, and oak wooden) after 42 days in box and whisker plots. The horizontal line within the box represents the median, the higher and decrease box bounds symbolize first and third quartiles, and the p-value exhibits remedy variations. Differences have been assessed with statistical evaluation, and (a) and (b) point out statistical significance. Image from Bendag et al. (2026).

Overall, the fiberglass-reinforced plastic had the best survival, growth, and feed conversion ratio. Nevertheless, the Douglas fir carried out equally, suggesting it could possibly be a sustainable various to plastic in shrimp aquaculture tanks. Oak wooden, however, was discovered to negatively have an effect on all metrics, and thus, was not a affordable various. It was possible that the oak wooden launched increased concentrations of dangerous extractives into the water that negatively affected shrimp feeding conduct and welfare whereas Douglas fir launched fewer dangerous extractives. This highlights an important examine takeaway: not all wooden species are appropriate for aquaculture.

A More Sustainable Future for Aquaculture?

Employing a wooden aquaculture construction, in contrast to plastic, can improve sustainability by addressing ecological, financial, and societal components. Wood is a renewable useful resource, and its implementation can cut back plastic air pollution. While wooden is more costly than plastic, wooden is cost-effective and repairs will be inexpensive in wooden systems over time. Consumers are additionally possible to understand wooden as more environmentally pleasant, and it could be more domestically obtainable than industrial plastic supplies.

Ultimately, Bendag and their crew concluded that Douglas fir could possibly be a viable plastic various in Pacific white shrimp closed aquaculture systems, notably as a result of it confirmed no main rotting points and didn’t require artificial coatings. Wood tanks could give you the chance to exchange plastic, supplied that the wooden species is fastidiously chosen and correctly handled. Future analysis will possible give attention to bettering pretreatment strategies and understanding the longer-term impression of these supplies on aquaculture.

Cover image is a sketch of a shrimp resting on a wine barrel beside a wine glass stuffed with ocean water and a wine bottle labeled “Aquaculture,” illustrated Samantha Glass.

I’m a Ph.D. Candidate on the University of Connecticut–Avery Point learning the marine carbonate system within the Arctic Ocean. My analysis focuses on biogeochemical adjustments occurring within sea ice because the Arctic continues to heat. Outside of my analysis, I take pleasure in mountaineering, operating, aerial gymnastics, paddleboarding, touring, and spending time with household and mates.

Article Reference and Inspiration

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