La Borbolla Shrimp Aquaculture Plant

Ashley M. Moore & Alan Berman
10/27/2007
Private Tour guide: Cezar Patiño, Aquaculture Biologist and Plant Manager

Land – La Borbolla private land
Plant - Semi-intensive system with 1 major season that last 6 to 7 months, no aeration only emergency aeration for example is different life stages require more 02.
White Shrimp are grown 0 – 30 grams.
5 metric tons of shrimps harvested form 360 hectares
Employees – 15- 17 full time, technical workers and 70-80 seasonal laborers

When we first arrived, we admittedly had our tires disinfected before entering the plant. The plant takes extra precaution to avoid any possible diseases such as White-spotted virus. Cesar Patiño then greeted us and took us on our tour.


The aquaculture plant begins at the sandy shore just south of San Nicolas Point, and other than the intake, is on privately owned, arid land. A sea water intake, that is dredged and supported by rock piers, is the beginning of a 4 kilometer long canal that runs downhill to the aquaculture plant located inland to the South East of the intake. This canal circles around the shrimp tanks and is pumped into the system through one filtered entrance. Here, a slope supports easier flow into the ponds, along with three huge pumps that are run by diesel and work 24 hours at the height of the season. These pumps allows for 3.5 cubed meters of water to enter into the system constantly. Water leaves the system constantly as well, propelled by the current generated by the pumps and by gravity. The outtake is 8km south from the intake and empties directly into the sea. The intake pumps circulate out 30 % of the entire water supply daily, and two filters at 5 and 2000 “micras” control the entrance of predatory and competitor species.
The aquaculture season begins in April, when the tanks are plowed and fertilized and ends around late October, as we now see only 13 out of 55 ponds working.
The season is comprised of three stages, preparing the tanks, seeding the tanks and growing the shrimp, and finally the harvest. Shrimp are harvested at 14-18 grams and then again at up to 30grams. Feeding is comprised of independently supplying each 6.5 hectare tank with food throughout the different life stages of the shrimp. Initially, fertilizer is added to boost the natural production of phytoplankton that feeds the shrimp larva. When the shrimp reach 3-5 grams they begin a diet of factory produced feed made mostly from grains and that also consists of anchovy fishmeal and ground shrimp heads. The heads are collected from the shrimp at the processing plant and provide crucial chitin for developing the forming shell. The meal also contains supplementary vitamins and minerals. While 35 to 40 % of the diet is protein, the rest is made up of carbohydrates and supplements. Feed is dispersed 3 to 4 times daily, by 4 teams of 2 people that hand deliver by way of tiny motor boats. The range of feed quantity that is delivered depends on many factors and is regulated by means of test feeding. In this process, flat mesh baskets less than a meter in diameter are filled with a controlled amount of feed pellets. These are then placed in the approximately 1.18 meter deep tanks, at the end of 6 evenly spaced, thin wooden docks that extend about 1/3 of the width of the tank, so that the shrimp can access the feed. After a certain time interval, these baskets are pulled up and counted individually for remaining feed pellets. Based on the variations, Cesar and others will make educated decisions on how much feed, if any, will be applied. In general, shrimp are voracious and the ratio of feed purchased to the mass of shrimp is 2 to 1. The quantity of shrimp per tank can be up to 32 measured tons in a given season, so that 64 tons of feed must be purchased. Unlike terrestrial livestock, it is not an easy task to even estimate the number of animals per tank at any given time. Thus, a variety of carefully measured and some speculated indicators must be taken into account. For example, a large amount of gulls feeding on a tank means that the shrimp are not healthy enough to stay in deep water.
A crucial part of the growing operation that ensures a full and healthy harvest is the biological laboratory where water, stock, feed, and other variables are tested. Two female biologists are responsible for this work, and their job includes testing for bacteria once a week in every tank. The entire management of the system depends on their analyses. For example, problem specific changes are made in the regulation of feed and feed quantities, the addition of antibiotics, anti-bacterial agents or fertilizers, and the flushing of nutrients to maintain oxygen richness. Any agents that need be applied directly to the shrimp are incorporated in the shrimp’s diet. Antibiotics and other agents are chosen with care in order to maximize their effect in marine conditions, and a 30 day time interval must be allowed to clear these agents before the harvest. According to Cesar, most of these agents are only active for up to a few days before dissolving in the environment.
The harvesting of tanks is also a machine run process aided by manual labor. In the 6.5 hectare tank 400 kilos of shrimp is produced then sold at the end of the season. A large vacuum is placed into the shrimp tank to remove all shrimp. Then it is separated into 40 bins. The bins are then sent to the processing plant to be processed. Along with the shrimp, the water is removed and drains back into the canal then flows out to the Gulf of California.

Isla Detil (Turner Island)

Isla Datil (Turner Island)

Geography and Physical Features:
Isla Datil (Turner) is located just off of the southeast shore of Isla Tiburon (28* 43’ 00” N, 112* 19’ 00” W.). In fact, Isla Datil is still connected to the southeast shore of Isla Tiburon by an underwater peninsula extending 5 kms long southward. The island became isolated during Pleistocene-Holocene era due to erosion.
The island is 1 sq. Km., 1200m’s in length and 800m wide. The highest point of the island in 180 m. Due to its jagged and rough topography, the islands offers many different environments including canyons for several different species to thrive in. There are only a few rocky beaches but most of the shore line consists of high cliffs. One can find metamorphic rock such as quartz diorite, shale, and chert. Chert is known to be the oldest rock in Bahia Kino. One can imagine that you would find the same rock on the Southeast side of Isla Tiburon as well.

Flora and Fauna:
For its size, it has an incredible abundance of flora and fauna making it a very vital island. The island has over 99 species of plants with Cacti and shrubs most dominant. The highest productivity of plants occurs along the east side of the canyons and the east and north facing slopes. As Isla Tiburon receives a great percentage of rainfall so does Isla Datil during summer-fall rains.

Birds, Mammals and Reptiles:
The Island represents one of the most important nesting grounds for the Osprey in
the Gulf of California.

Mammals (4 Spp) :
Perognathus intermedius – Rock Pocket Mouse,
Chaetodipus intermedius minimus – Rock Pocket Mouse,
Neotoma varia – White Throated Wood Rat
Peromyscus eremicus collatus - Cactus Mouse

Reptiles (6 Spp):
Crotalus atrox - Dwarfed Rattlesnake (endemic)
Gophorus agassizi - Desert Tortuous
Masticophis flagellum - Coach Whip
Uta stansburiana - Common Side Blotched lizard
Phyllodactylus xanti - Leaf-toed Gecko
Ctenosaura hemilopha - Spiny Tail

Historical and Current Human Use:
Historical the island was use by the Seri’s for hunting and harvesting. However, in 1872 they were run off the island by the Mexican Army. Five Seri men were killed, along with a Seri women left on the island to die. Today the Island is used by commercial small scale fisherman fishing for cucumber, octopus, and lobster.

Conservation Issues, Management and Suggestions:
Isla Datil is protected under the Flora and Fauna Protected Area but has no specific management plan. A management plan should be in place to monitor human impacts and survey significant areas of nesting birds such as the Osprey. I feel this island has been severely over looked and more updated research should be conducted for its unique biodiversity and landscape.

DUST STORM!!

Today was a day off, or as most instructors like to call it “a student directed day”. A nasty wind storm blew in around 10:00 am, and is still going on right now at 11:00 pm. The winds were blowing at 50 mph. I’ve gained a new appreciation for the desert. I grew up in the Florida Keys and experienced high winds on several occasions. However, I’ve never realized how harsh Mother Nature could be. The boys decided to go surfing, so I wondered down to the beach to observe. As I was making my way down there I was being pelted by grains of sand that felt like there were breaking through the first couple layers of my skin. Debris of all sorts was flying by. I had an old ripped up piece of fishing net fly into my ankles and get entangled. I immediately thought of a helpless marine creature as soon as I untangled it and allowed it to fly away. With high winds normally come lots of rain where I’m from, but in this situation, the high winds brought flying debris and dust. My eyes were crusty and my nose was clogged up with dirt and sand. My entire body was layered in dust. I wouldn’t dare try to swallow because my throat was clogged with dirt and sand. I was amazed that people could actually live here, even more amazed with the animals that have been surviving in such harsh conditions. I wondered what the Seri’s were doing right now, and then I felt sorrow for the shrimpers for being in terrible waves. I feel weak and extremely impressed with the animals and humans that made their home here in the desert.

Finally San Esteban!

After recovering from the last boat trip, we once again set to sea two days later (the 20th). This time we had the wonderful privilege to have a Seri elder as our guide. Our main goal was to cross the Sea of Cortez yet again to reach San Esteban. We couldn’t have picked a better day. The sea conditions were perfect, on a Beaufort scale the waves were maybe 1, but probably .5. There was literally steam coming off of the calm sea which made the panga ride quite pleasurable. We saw a pod of dolphins but didn’t stop to observe because our time was limited and every minute was crucial. However, after passing Isla Dalil we couldn’t resist the oh-so inquisitive Long Beak Common Dolphin. We estimated a pod of 30-40. Lots of photos were taken and Tad spoke about the differences in the species species that we saw.
Manuel, the Seri elder had us stop at a certain point before reaching the island. He explained that his people were very fluid and would travel back and forth to islands in the Sea of Cortez in of search food. They would get stuck on island for weeks at a time and would have to wait out storms. Translated quote from Manuel about a particular song they would sing: “Seri’s would wait on shore line with high winds and sing to keep their spirits up”. He referred to the area that we stopped at as “where the current collides” or “The place of the giant current.” This is an important cultural spot for the Seri’s. Before crossing this particular current they would sing a song to meditate and to build up stamina and courage. Before even entering the water the females would sing four songs to the men to encourage them. Also let me stress that the way the crossed the sea was on raft-like canoes made from reeds tied together at the end.
Something else Manuel pointed out was that the Seri culture is being lost more and more each day. The kids are not learning the songs, and I believe he stated that there are only maybe 3 men that know all the songs. On July 1st they celebrate New Years. They get together and have contests of who can sing the most songs and carry the tone the best. Manuel has never lost. It was a great privilege to have him with us that day, for the tribe has been around for 4,000 years and could be gone tomorrow.
We set foot on San Esteban and were immediately approached by the Mexican Army. It seems as if they were camping out on the islands for possibly several days. It is harvesting season for marijuana, and from what I hear the military has been in full force. Just a few weeks ago the military busted a group of smugglers. They had to toss out kilos of pot from their boat as they were being chased. Needless to say the fishermen had a real good catch that day. The men were nice to us and offered any assistance they could. We hiked about 300 yards in and sat around a very large cardone that stood probably 15 – 20 feet tall. We had the opportunity to ask question to Manuel. Manuel told us a story about the young Seri men climbing to the top of a mountain and sliding down a steep slope in sea turtle shells in order to ensure their man hood. On the way back Tad caught a San Esteban Chuckwalla. He explained a bit of the anatomy of the chuckwalla then I had the opportunity to hold it.
Snorkeling that day was amazing! Absolutely flipping amazing! We snorkeled with dozens of playful sea lions. I can not express in words how amazing was to the swim with sea lions, but I’ll try. It’s kind of like going to the beach and playing Frisbee with your favorite puppy, but even better. The area alone was gorgeous. I have learned a very valuable lesson: snorkel around Cosme. He has been fishing commercially for years. His eye is trained to spot certain animals like sea cucumber, starfish, crustaceans, octopus, eels, etc. That man finds the coolest things. We wrapped things up and called it a day.

Boat Trip 10/18

It was a semi-calm day when we set out to sea in the panga on the 18th of October. We passed pelicans and terns as we were nearing Isla Datil. As we approached Isla Dalti we saw a pod of approximately 10-15 Common Bottle-nose Dolphin. We soon came upon of a flock of Booby’s foraging in the rich trench between Isla Tiburon and San Esteban. The currents in the trench are a vital part of the marine ecosystem because it creates an incredible upwelling of nutrients that attract many fish, such as sardines, anchovies and herring to come to the surface to forage. Below the diving birds were Long-beaked Common Dolphins that were taking advantage of the abundance of Chanidae and Clupidae. We estimated 200 dolphins on the surface and another 200 plus dolphins submerged. The Long-beaked dolphin seemed inquisitive of the boat and would come dangerously close. Fortunately, their accuracy is phenomenal and they know when to split from the boat. They played in the wake and along the sides of the boats gunnels, jumping in and out of the water. The experience attracted us for over an hour, and by then winds had picked up. We had another forty minutes ahead of us to reach our destination. The Panga bounced vigorously through the white caps and 25 knots winds. We had to abort our mission to San Esteban and find a safe place to snorkel closer to the mainland. We decided to visit Isla Tiburon. It was less windy and the current wasn’t so strong because of the inlet. We snorkeled for about an hour. We identified around 35 species of fish. Some classmates got the privilege to spot a Black Sea Turtle which is closely related to the green. By looking at pictures, I would estimate the turtle to be around 4 years of age and approximately 25 pounds. After we snorkeled Cosme’s, excellent trained eye captured an octopus to share with the class. The ride back was intense. I felt like I was once again doing my rescue diving in the Florida Keys during hurricane season. Everybody has a sore back or knees and we all got completely soaked. But, that is what you pay if you want to be marine biologist.

For the people that are interested in marine mammals I will distinguish between the two species that were identified today:

Common Bottlenose Dolphins are the most well known dolphins to humans. They are the most abundant dolphins seen in aquariums and other sort of attractions. Flipper was also a CBD (Common Bottlenose Dolphin) I’m sure everybody has a slight understanding of their characteristics. To get into more detail, there is variability between inshore CBD and offshore CBD. Off shore dolphins tend to be larger and also darker; the inshore dolphins are slightly smaller in size and lighter in color. Both however have wide heads and body along with a shorter beak when compared to other species. They also have counter shading characteristics (darker on top, lighter on bottom). This could be for camouflaging. When they are on the surface the light belly blends in with the sky, and when they are near the bottom, they tend to blend in with the ocean floor. That’s a quick and easy way to explain it. The CBD are cosmopolitan species that occur in oceans and peripheral seas at tropical and temperate latitudes (Pieter Folkens, 2002). They often favor coastal areas such as islands, atolls, bays, and estuaries. However, there is also a pelagic population that live far off shore.

The Long-beaked Common Dolphin
This Species has a variety of characteristics throughout different populations from variations of skull size, body size and fin size. They are smaller than the CBD weighing about 330 pounds. It is named after its long beak They display a great example of counter shading. The upper portion of the body is dark gray to black, with dark flippers. The LCD are typically found in near shore tropical and warm environments. They have been spotted all over the world such as, Venezuela, Argentina, west coast of Africa, etc

Yes, and if you are wondering what the red stuff floating around the water is, well, that would be the red tide.

Old Kino Bay

We were sent out to gather basic information on Kino Viejo. Lorayne wanted us to become familiar with the town, culture, fishing industry, economics and the environment. The town itself is a mixture of both urban and third world elements. Through our observations, we noticed that the town's economical survival depends on small scale fishing and tourism (46 %fishing and aquaculture and 43% convenient stores and craft stores). The tourists that visit Old Kino are mostly weekenders from Hermosillo. Aside from those residents involved with the fishing and tourism industry there are some retirees who call Old Kino their home. It was quite interesting to see 500,000 dollar homes on the beach that they probably purchased for 20,000 dollars in the 70’s or 80’s, and then across the street observe shacks seemingly pieced together from found materials. Fishermen were selling fish and shrimp right from the pangas. Some were selling seafood out of their homes or on the streets. It’s a good possibility they are not permitted to do so. They gave the Mexicans incredible deals and tried to scam us; as is the custom with tourists, quite a bit. A group of non-local (St. Felipe) fishermen offered to sell us 1 kilo of shrimp for 100 pesos, another group that were locals offered a kilo of shrimp for 60 pesos. Fishing regulations are not enforced, and this may be the biggest downfall of the industry. Kino Viejo fisheries are declining dramatically. This could be a result of the non-local shrimp trawlers as well. I will talk about the shrimp trawlers later as the course progresses. Prescott College strives to bring the fishing community together to talk about conservation.
We wandered on to the beach that was littered with sea shells, pelicans, sea gulls, dead fish, old decaying fishing nets and a lot of trash. We approached several fishermen that were super excited to talk to us. They were happy to answer any questions we had and allowed us to take several pictures. Two policia came up to the fishermen on 4 wheelers. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch that conversation. Through my observations, the most popular fish caught were flounder. In restaurants they were selling puffer fish and liza, which is mullet. As the Sea of Cortez is being fished out more and more everyday, fisherman are resolved to catching fish of a poorer quality.
There were dogs roaming the streets and eating rotten food. I am almost convinced that their digestive systems are more evolved than domestic dogs. The children all seemed happy. There was an organized all boy soccer game going on as well. I witnessed a lot of children playing soccer amongst themselves in the yard too. Strangely enough, there was a circus going on. I desperately want to visit the circus. I feel it will be very emotionally disturbing seeing how they treat the animals.

Punta Chueca

My first impression of Punta Cheuca was what I imagined a third world country to be like. The streets were literally covered in trash. There were blankets thrown down on the filthy streets, barbie dolls covered in mud, etc. I couldn’t believe my eyes; it was a major culture shock. I began to wonder why would a small little town that is so united do this to their home? I then began to realize that Americans do it too. Not in a sense of littering everywhere (although of course some people do), but in a sense of other things such as water. I guarantee they value water far more than we do. I try to be as conservative as possible, but I am a culprit of taking 20 minute showers. I could also promise that they are conservative especially when it comes down to food and other natural resources. However, the Seri Indians have been around for 4,000 years. All of the trash that I saw has been brought in and influenced by western countries such as the United States. Before plastic was invented and brought into their culture, children would play with sea shells, rocks, sticks, and other organic materials. After they were done they would simply through it on the ground and play with something else.
Another quick observation I saw was very nice vehicles, mostly expensive SUV’s. Classmates jumped to the conclusion that they valued vehicles more so then their other belongings. I personally believe that their vehicles are an important and necessary item. From Punta Chueca to Kino Bay is about a 50 minute drive down a terribly bumpy road. They need long lasting vehicles to get around. Most of the vehicles did not have license plates, and from a good resource, they were all probably stolen. This brings up another important culture issue. The Seri’s were once nomadic people. They would travel to a place use up all of the resources and move on. As they would travel they would take whatever they needed, I am referring to organic items. And now they just take what they need and move on.
I felt unwanted at the village. I was pressured quite often to purchase crafts that they hand make without tools. They are quite beautiful as well. They were also selling weaved baskets, necklaces made out of shells gathered by beach combers. I am extremely low on cash and I was refusing every offer. I felt bad as if I were intruding and not showing my respect by supporting their economy. I did purchase one thing which costs me my every last peso I had (150 pesos). So I am not criticized on behalf of my purchase I must briefly explain the relationship between sea turtles and the Seri’s.
All the seven and 1 sub-species of sea turtles are endangered world wide. They were most commonly hunted for their meat and their shells. Hunters also poach their eggs to sell overseas used as an aphrodisiac. The Seri’s provide informative knowledge in sea turtle conservation. The Seri’s have a very sacred relationship with the sea turtles that inhabit the Sea of Cortez. It has even been said that they sing to the turtle to bring them in (Winona LaDuke, 2003). Once upon a time they held annual ceremonies for the sea turtles, but went years without seeing a single one. Today, they are allowed to kill a sea turtle for ceremonial purposes. There are a lot of critics that believe they should not be allowed to do so, ironically these people are from western countries, primarily the United States, that have little to no relationship or knowledge about Seri traditions. I personally respect and admire the magical ceremonies that they hold and do not criticize them for doing so. So, moving on to what I purchased. After refusing many beautiful gifts from mostly Seri women, I met Alfredo who is a respected elder in the community. He made a ring from a scute (segments of the turtle shell) of a Hawksbill. I picked it up from the table and immediately felt a beautiful connection. When I placed the ring on my finger I felt a surge of energy. My entire mood shifted into a calming phase and released the fear that existed in me from the initial culture shock. It was a really beautiful moment that I am extremely privileged to have experienced.

First Boat Trip

Our first day out on the water was exciting! It was an introduction to the entire course. We got to examine basic topics that we we’ll learn more about in detail. Some of the topics were different fisheries and techniques, ecology of islands, aquaculture, ecology, policy and marine issues. We traveled in “pangas”, in English this means boat; they can hold up to 16-20 people. The local fisherman also uses pangas. On our way to Isla Alcatraz, we observed many pangas in the water fishing for different things. Most were catching Blue Shrimp, which the season just started a couple week ago on September 18th. Others were catching Blue Swimming Crab by traps and buoys made from old plastic bottles or blocks of Styrofoam. Most of the boats are 3-4 meters in length and consist of a crew of 1-3.

The course focuses a lot on the local fisheries, for there is a lot of controversy between them and outside fisherman that are primarily 30-40 meter shrimp trawlers. Our boat captain Cosme was born and raised in Kino Bay. He also has his own fishing boats and a crew. He was able to share valuable knowledge with us that you couldn’t find in a text book. As we were passing all the pangas, he was pointing out his friends, family, and he own personal pangas. The fishing community is very united in Kino. Everybody knows everybody. We pulled up to his brothers boat, and they seemed very excited and happy to talk to us. The translation for me is very difficult so I didn’t gather much of the conversation except for “Blue Shrimp”. Cosme asked them to throw us some shrimp and they generously threw us a couple dozen of their hard earn catch.

Moving on we circled around Island Alcatraz. We observed sea lions on their backs with their flippers up above the water warming their selves in the sun. We also observed Yellow-footed Gulls, Herman Gulls, Double Crested Cormorants, Great Blue Heron, Brown Pelican, Frigate, Blue and Brown Boobies, Black Vulture, Osprey, and a Humming bird (species unknown). Once we landed we had a short tour of the island to view the nesting cormorants. It is a little early in the season so there were only a few dozen getting ready for their excited parenthood. The peak season for nesting cormorants is December and January. Another exciting fact is that Isla Alcatraz has the highest number of nesting cormorants, 1100 pairs. Cormorants are a very unique bird. For the consistency of their nesting numbers on the island, they seem not to be effected by El Nino and other natural causes. Isla Alcatraz also hosts another 10 species of nesting birds.

Prescott College wrote the environmental plan for this island which was a great success and accomplishment. This project took several dedicated students, instructors, biologist, and other outside resources. The project consisted of 3 phases:
Survey of the geography and flora and fauna. On this particular island you can find Cardones, salt bush, wolfberry, and pickle weed. It is an interesting island because is has several different environments such as, beaches, salts flats, mosaic of costal shrub, high elevation, sharp and gentle slopes. As you can imagine if provides many niches for many different organisms.
Survey of human impacts and activity. Local fisherman use this island to come to shore to de-head their shrimp catch and also families would come to visit and primarily stay on the beach and not explore into the shrubs where the birds are nesting. In conclusion it didn’t seem that there weren’t any disturbances caused from human influences.
Educational component. This was started by the fellows (two Mexicans employed by Prescott College). They teach ecology at the local schools and bring the children out to the islands for field trips.
After all the research was done they submitted it to the national protection agency and it was accepted. Much more has gone into this project, more than I can explain. However if you do have any questions please feel free to ask.

After our lovely tour we me headed towards the main land to snorkel. Although snorkeling was unsuccessful, probably due to the aquaculture plant being near, we lunch on the beach where I was threatened by my gigantic bull sea lion (this would have been a good opportunity to see somebody run on water). There was also a beautiful osprey nest where I tried to poach some eggs, but unfortunately it wasn’t the season. (please note that was sarcasm). This concludes my day.

Marine Conservation

I am currently attending Prescott College studying education in Environmental and Marine Science. I spend a good portion of my time in Kino Bay where Prescott College has a research base. This blog is designed to document my experience during my studies in Marine Conservation. The course is a collaboration of three classes: Global Marine Issues, we will develop an understanding physical environment in which will be living (Kino Bay, Mexico). This will include landscape, oceans, islands, cultures, policy, economics e, along with environmental issues such as pollution, tourism, habitat restoration. The second part of the course i titled Gulf of Mexico Conservation Case Studies, we will then observe regional case studies pertaining to the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of Mexico). We will examine difference fishing techniques while speaking to fisherman and working on a shrimp trawler monitoring bi-catch, and aquacultures and so forth. Lastly is Applied Conservation Research, we will be examining specific conservation projects and efforts. We will be working on conservation projects as well with proposals. We will also have the opportunity to work management agencies, scientists, educators, and local resources. Through this blog I am excited to spread my love, passion and knowledge to who ever is interested