Assessing the Interactive Effects of High Salinity and Stocking Density on the Growth and Stress Physiology of the Pacific White Shrimp <i>Litopenaeus vannamei</i>

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of high salinity combined with stocking density on <i>Litopenaeus vannamei</i>. Three salinity gradients, namely, 28 g/L, 36 g/L, and 44 g/L, and two stocking densities, namely, 300 and 600 shrimp/m³, were used to analyze the synergistic effect of high salinity and stocking density on the growth performance, digestibility, and energy budgets of <i>L. vannamei</i>. The experimental testing period lasted 45 days. The research results showed that a salinity level of 36 g/L was the most suitable salinity level for shrimp growth under both high and low stocking densities. The body weight, specific growth rate, and relative weight gain of the shrimp in the 36 g/L salinity group were significantly higher than those in the other two salinity groups under both high and low stocking densities. The high-density farming group with 600 shrimp/m³ exhibited a significant inhibition of shrimp growth compared to the low-density group under the same salinity conditions. The activities of amylase, lipase, and protease in the high-density-group shrimp gradually decreased with an increase in salinity, and the three digestive enzymes had the same overall effect of changing trends. This indicates that under high-density farming conditions, the increase in salinity is not conducive to the digestive function of shrimps. At the same time, the proportion of respiratory energy to feeding energy gradually decreased in the high-density group and with the increase in salinity. However, under the same salinity conditions, the higher the stocking density, the higher the energy consumed by respiration compared to the low-density group. In addition, the expression of the growth-related gene’s small nuclear ribonucleoprotein polypeptide G (<i>SNRPG</i>) under high stocking density was significantly lower than that in the low-density group at a salinity of 28 g/L, and ribosomal protein L7 (<i>RPL7</i>) expression was also significantly lower under high stocking density than that in the low-density group at a salinity of 44 g/L. The expression levels of molting-related genes retinoid X receptor (<i>RXR</i>), ecdysone receptor (<i>ECR</i>), and ecdysone-induced protein 75 (<i>E75</i>) were significantly higher in the 36 g/L salinity group compared with the other two salinity groups under high-stocking-density treatment. The findings indicate that the synergistic effects of salinity and stocking density have a significant impact on the growth of <i>L. vannamei</i>, and excessive salinity would inhibit its growth in the process of high-density culturing.