From: A Balance of Power
Strict Precautions
To maintain water quality and ecological balance in its ponds, OceanBoy has samples of its pond water and well water analyzed at regular intervals by Eurofins Scientific Inc., the Memphis, TN–based US arm of an international bioanalytical services group with operations in 15 countries. “The results of these analyses demonstrate that we don’t have contaminants in our water,” Mogollon says. “There is nothing to purify out of the water. Once it enters the production ponds, it is confined in our closed ecosystem. We use it and reuse it and reuse it.”
OceanBoy’s shrimp are certified Specific Pathogen Free (SPF), which means they don’t harbor diseases fatal to shrimp. To keep its shrimp disease-free, the company has instituted a strict bio-security protocol.
Visitors are allowed on the farms only by appointment and with a company escort. All who enter must wash their shoes in a footbath at the entrance to the main office, enter the office, wash their hands with antibacterial soap, and then pass through a second footbath at the exit of the main office before entering the production area. Visitors who have been to another shrimp farm within the last 30 days must wear special disposable jumpsuits and footwear. Vehicles entering the farms must drive through a chlorine tire bath.
No seafood may be brought onto the farms; the entry of equipment, vehicles, materials, or people coming from an area where shrimp are caught, handled, processed, or sold is prohibited.
Harvest and Processing
Twice a year, in July–August and November–December, the shrimp are harvested and sent on ice from the ponds to OceanBoy’s processing plant in Clewiston. After being sorted by size, some of the shrimp are sold raw; others are cooked, peeled, and deveined.
Ten percent of the crop is sold fresh. Ninety percent is frozen. The processing plant has an 11,000-gallon nitrogen tank, an immersion freezer, and an 18-foot post-cool freezing tunnel.
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Some of the shrimp are sold whole; others have their heads removed. OceanBoy recycles the heads to produce shrimp flavorings and protein additives for pet food.
Shrimp are sold according to a count of tails per pound within a specified range. For example, 41/50 means 41 to 50 tails per pound. OceanBoy’s yield follows a bell curve, with 60% to 70% in the 41/50 and 36/40 categories. Jumbo shrimp—16/20, 21/25, and 26/30—make up 10% to 15% of the crop. The rest are smaller, primarily 51/60.
January-February 2007
From: A Balance of Power
Strict Precautions
To maintain water quality and ecological balance in its ponds, OceanBoy has samples of its pond water and well water analyzed at regular intervals by Eurofins Scientific Inc., the Memphis, TN–based US arm of an international bioanalytical services group with operations in 15 countries. “The results of these analyses demonstrate that we don’t have contaminants in our water,” Mogollon says. “There is nothing to purify out of the water. Once it enters the production ponds, it is confined in our closed ecosystem. We use it and reuse it and reuse it.”
OceanBoy’s shrimp are certified Specific Pathogen Free (SPF), which means they don’t harbor diseases fatal to shrimp. To keep its shrimp disease-free, the company has instituted a strict bio-security protocol.
Visitors are allowed on the farms only by appointment and with a company escort. All who enter must wash their shoes in a footbath at the entrance to the main office, enter the office, wash their hands with antibacterial soap, and then pass through a second footbath at the exit of the main office before entering the production area. Visitors who have been to another shrimp farm within the last 30 days must wear special disposable jumpsuits and footwear. Vehicles entering the farms must drive through a chlorine tire bath.
No seafood may be brought onto the farms; the entry of equipment, vehicles, materials, or people coming from an area where shrimp are caught, handled, processed, or sold is prohibited.
Harvest and Processing
Twice a year, in July–August and November–December, the shrimp are harvested and sent on ice from the ponds to OceanBoy’s processing plant in Clewiston. After being sorted by size, some of the shrimp are sold raw; others are cooked, peeled, and deveined.
Ten percent of the crop is sold fresh. Ninety percent is frozen. The processing plant has an 11,000-gallon nitrogen tank, an immersion freezer, and an 18-foot post-cool freezing tunnel.
Some of the shrimp are sold whole; others have their heads removed. OceanBoy recycles the heads to produce shrimp flavorings and protein additives for pet food.
Shrimp are sold according to a count of tails per pound within a specified range. For example, 41/50 means 41 to 50 tails per pound. OceanBoy’s yield follows a bell curve, with 60% to 70% in the 41/50 and 36/40 categories. Jumbo shrimp—16/20, 21/25, and 26/30—make up 10% to 15% of the crop. The rest are smaller, primarily 51/60.