THE CRUST - ISSUE #5

Hello readers, and welcome again to February’s issue of THE CRUST. In this issue, we want to highlight two species currently competing for space (or ponds) in the aquaculture world. These species are the Litopenaeus vannamei and Penaeus monodon. Some farmers have already made the shift, some are contemplating, and some still stay to their ground. Nevertheless, we think this is a worthy topic to discuss to gauge what the future might entail. We hope this issue can

shed some light on this shift and give insights to farmers who are considering switching one way or another.

Historically, most shrimp farmers in the world are cultivating monodon. Until around 1998, when monodon culture started to decline from a myriad of diseases, and then vannamei was introduced. At first, vannamei was the resilient species and could give higher returns due to their ability to live in higher density. Since then, vannamei has been king in terms of production volume farmer adoption. This has been going on until recently when shrimp diseases are rampant all over the world. Only Ecuador seems to be unfazed by these problems and has successfully dominated the van-

CeO

Chief Editor Overview

namei export market.

Recently some farmers are starting to switch back to monodon, especially in India and some regions in Indonesia. This might be caused by the vanammei’s market condition, which is in a slump due to overflooding of production and the shrinking market size caused by global economic conditions. By switching to monodon, farmers are hoping to secure a different market than vannamei. However, we still don’t know if monodon will be an entirely different market or a substitute in a zero-sum market with vannamei. This is yet revealed until monodon is produced and supplied reliably.

To thrive and replace vannamei, monodon must reach enough volume to cater to market demand and do it consistently. This, however, is not easy since the shift needs to be supported by the whole supply chain. First, hatcheries need to start producing larvae for farmers to stock. But to do that, hatcheries need to have reliable and enough demand from farmers to make it economically viable. Next, feedmills need to start producing feed that helps optimize performance and production. Lastly, processors must dedicate some production lines to process this species specifically. All

of these needs to happen together to support this emerging industry.

We may be at a turning point where vannamei will be replaced by another as the preferred species in shrimp aquaculture. It might be replaced by monodon, or it might be replaced by another species that we have never heard about. Regardless, aquaculture will keep evolving as time goes on, and we, as practitioners, must be ready to adapt to the change.

l THE

Darmawan Chief Editor

CRUSTRIZKY

Rizky

Photo source : THE CRUST, PT TKP, Djoko Subono

Before vannamei gained popularity in Indonesia, every shrimp farmer cultivated Penaeus monodon (Black Tiger Shrimp). This shrimp farming trend started in the 1970s, and monodon has been and is still regarded as Indonesia’s main species. Monodon gained the spotlight in its development because it was one of the profitable export commodities before it collapsed due to diseases. However, in the end, the monodon industry couldn’t survive due to a massive decline in production. Luckily at that time, vannamei was able to replace monodon and cement its place in Indonesia’s shrimp industry.

Senior farm technician Mr. Djoko Subono shared his experience cultivating monodon in 1988 at Mlakasari Village, Cirebon West Java. According to Mr. Djoko, monodon farming was very easy at that time. He admitted that he only used simple methods, starting with drying the pond, sprinkling hydrated agricultural lime, using saponins to kill wild fishes, and filling the water using a water pump. After that, the pond is ready for stocking. “With a stocking density of 10 PLs/m2, the results were very gratifying at that time. It made a good profit and was easy to do at that time. Because of that, many people around Mlakasari Village began to join monodon farming,” he said.

In 1990, Mr. Djoko Subono, who graduated from the Faculty of Fisheries at Bogor Agricultural University, moved to Rawa Jitu in South Lampung to join one of the giant TIR (Tambak Inti Rakyat) ponds that cultivates monodon. Mr. Djoko previously applied a semi-intensive

cultivation method in Mlakasari. But in Lampung, he must adapt to a more intensive pattern with a stocking density of up to 25 PLs/m2 in a pond area of 2,000 m2 and 40 PLs/m2 for a pond area of 5,000 m2. “The yield was excellent, the pond size was 2,000 m2, and it produced 1.5-2 tons, while the 4000 m2 ponds could reach 3.5-4 tons per pond,” he recalled.

Mr. Djoko said that until 1995 monodon farming arguably always succeeded and had always produced excellent harvests. However, in 1996 the disease began, and it started to reduce the productivity of monodon farming. It has yet recovered until now.

White Spot Disease

Senior farming practitioner Mr. Leonardo Bong Tiro witnessed the rise and collapse of monodon farming in Indonesia. The man, who is usually called as Mr. Bong, said that from 1996 until 2002, monodon farmers in Indonesia experienced problems with the white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), which caused a decrease in pond productivity due to its high mortality rate.

However, according to Mr. Bong, in North Kalimantan, there are still monodon farmers who can achieve good results because they are applying low stocking density of 1 individual/m2 in huge ponds (around 5-10 ha per plot) and harvests every two and a half months. As for market demand, Mr. Bong explains that until now, around ten units of cold storage are still processing monodon.

According to Mr. Bong, alongside the WSSV virus problem, another factor that contributed to the collapse of monodon farming was that there were no significant improvements in monodon genetic development by the private sector or the government. He explained further that in late 2017, an attempt was conducted in Siddo village, Barru, South Sulawesi, to improve the genetics of monodon. However, research to enhance genetics was attempted in Indonesia and other research institutions in other countries, though unsuccessful. For example, Moana Technologies was one company that brought monodon broodstocks from the Indo-Pacific waters to a facility in Honolulu, Hawaii, for research. The company then “cleaned up” the progeny to ensure they were pathogens-free before the animals were brought to another facility in Big Island, Hawaii. The record shows that Moana Technologies in Hawaii required 15 years to produce

Monodon in Indonesia:

A Historical Review

Djoko Subono

Nauplii from F1 broodstock new generation Black Tiger from Moana Technologies

monodon with an excellent productivity rate. The monodon cultivated by Moana Technologies resulted from the broodstock originating from the Indian Ocean, Indonesia, and the Philippine Sea.

The Introduction of Vannamei

Vannamei (Litopenaeus vannamei) was officially introduced by the Indonesian Government in 2001. This native species of the Pacific Ocean began to be widely cultivated by shrimp farmers as a substitute for monodon, which production had been rapidly declining since 1996. Vannamei is also considered superior to monodon for several reasons, including a high survival rate, SPF shrimp fry, higher stocking density, domesticated broodstock, better disease resistance, and low Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR).

According to Mr. Djoko, the arrival of vannamei induced optimism in the shrimp farming industry, especially in the early days when the results were beyond expectation. Based on Mr. Djoko’s experience, he once cultivated vannamei in HDPE-lined ponds measuring 40 m x 80 m, with 15 units of paddlewheels, stocking density of 150 - 200 PLs/m2, which resulted in 9-10 tons/pond production. “In the early time, vannamei farming’s results were good, as with the case of monodon farming in the 1980s. But ultimately, the cultivation of vannamei went through a difficult time due to the diseases. As a matter of fact, all diseases that affected monodon also affected vannamei,” said Djoko.

Even though monodon farming had receded, Mr. Djoko admitted that he was very interested if it would ever be developed again. According to Mr. Djoko, representing the shrimp farm technician’s point of view, monodon farming is more manageable than vannamei farming because the stocking density is not too high, and the maximum density is only around 50 individuals / m2. “But perhaps for entrepreneurs, the productivity rate is slightly less attractive. Therefore, if the monodon’s selling price can reach a higher level, it might become more interesting for entrepreneurs,” he said. In addition to the higher price, he hopes the monodon fry has good quality and an SPF status. These will help avoid mistakes like in the past when monodon was very susceptible to disease and had a low Survival Rate (SR).

Mr. Bong also explained the difference between vannamei and monodon. According to him, they are different species with different market niches. Vannamei can be intensified in terms of production. Meanwhile, monodon cannot be intensified in a small area but can be cultivated to a bigger size with high demand in some countries.

Currently, Mr. Bong’s company, PT. Tri Karta Pratama & Benur Top Group are developing monodon farming in

Indonesia and are temporarily focusing on traditional & semi-intensive ponds in South Sulawesi, North Kalimantan, and Aceh. Farmers in these three provinces have used monodon fry from natural broodstocks for over 20 years. But, Mr. Bong said, ideally, shrimp farming should have used domesticated broodstocks and “highly improved genetics” similar to vannamei shrimp. More than nine international companies are producing genetic strains with highly improved growth and disease resistance breed.

Related to this, Moana Technologies Ltd., the leading manufacturer of the new generation monodon breed from the Big Island, Hawaii, has been producing broodstocks for countries such as Vietnam, Bangladesh, and the Philippines since eight years ago. They’re doing experiments right now testing their broodstocks in India and Indonesia. “As for a high-quality monodon fry, PT. TKP hatcheries located in South Sulawesi and North Kalimantan are producing and selling monodon fry starting from PL12 to PL15 with initial results showing potential to increase the overall monodon production in Indonesia,” Mr. Bong said while promoting.

lTHE CRUST - UTE, GEMILANG

Mr. Bong (center) with TKP Nauplii Production Center team at Siddo Barru

Djoko Subono

Shrimp Feeding

To determine how much feed your stock needs, the most widely used method is calculating feed needs using the Feeding rate (FR). FR shows how much feed a shrimp needs to live and grow optimally. The FR itself is determined using a table tied to the size of the shrimp at the current time. An FR formula should look like this:

A simple example will be if you have 5.000 kg of shrimps at 10 gr MBW. The %FR is obtained by matching the current MBW with the specific FR from the table. This means you need to put in 161,5 kg of feed for that day for the shrimp to live and grow optimally.

However, FR varies with the shrimp’s genetics, feed formulae, feeding methods, and site characteristics. So, a good farmer should have its own adapted FR obtained by their historical data across multiple cycles to get a more precise FR for their site.

Concurrently, this formula can also predict how much biomass you have in your pond. Once you find the amount of feed per day your shrimps can ingest, it is a matter of plugging in the numbers to get your biomass prediction. This is also useful to determine your Survival Rate (%SR) and your stock’s health.

Another use of this formula that few farmers take advantage of is to use the calculation to target your growth.

How much should you feed your shrimps?

For example:

Today you have 5.000 kg of shrimps at 10 gr MBW feeding at 161.5 kg of feed per day. From this data, you can extrapolate how many shrimps you have in your pond (5.000 kg ÷ 10 gr = 500.000 shrimps). Then you set your target to grow them to 12 gr MBW in 7 days. If the SR is intact and the target is achieved, you should have 6.000 kg of shrimps in your pond by next week. Therefore, 6 tonnes of shrimp at 12 gr MBW would need 175,2 kg feed. Knowing this, now you just need to pace your feeding plan so that on the 7th day, you will be feeding them 175,2 kg of feed. Next, you need to sample your shrimps and see their current MBW; if they’re at 12 grams MBW, then you would have achieved your goal. But, if the deviation from the target is too much, something must be amiss.

While an FR table should look like the table on the (Tabel 1)

Photo source: The CRUST

HARMONY IN BALANCE

When talking about monodon, Malaysia can be an interesting case study from which we can all learn. While their shrimp industry primarily relies on the vannamei species, Malaysia’s shrimp industry still has a significant percentage of monodon production. Over the last three years (2019-2021), monodon has contributed around 27-31% of the total shrimp aquaculture production in Malaysia, which equates to roughly 13-18 thousand tonnes out of their 48-56 thousand tonnes production. Furthermore, their production doesn’t rely on just the export market but is also supported by their local consumption. Malaysia is one example of a country able to create a sustainable industry by balancing its production and market demand.

As a native species in Malaysia, monodon has been cultured as early as the 1930s. In the early days, monodon was grown in traditional ponds relying on high tide for water exchange and using seed from wild stocks. Monodon was popular due to the availability of specific pathogen-free (SPF) post-larvae and its lucrative economic returns. However, this continued up to 2003, when production decreased due to disease outbreaks and inconsistent supply of SPF post-larvae. Then, producers started to shift to vanna-

mei due to its shorter culture period and the lifting of the ban on its production by the Malaysian government. Despite this, monodon has yet to be entirely replaced by vannamei.

One company that has successfully balanced its production to include monodon and vannamei in its operation is Blue Archipelago (BA). BA is an integrated shrimp business that has been simultaneously producing monodon and vannamei in the same area for more than ten years. Having two production sites in Kedah (iKERPAN) and Terengganu (iSHARP) with an area of 405 and 971 hectares respectively, BA tries to balance its production between monodon and vannamei according to current conditions. The CEO of Blue Archipelago, Wan Nadhri, says the production comparison between monodon and vannamei in Kedah dan Terengganu is 20:80 and 30:70 respectively.

Since its establishment in 2007, BA has started producing monodon (2008) at the Kedah site, which was acquired from another company. The Kedah site itself is comprised of large earthen ponds suitable for monodon cultivation. “After BA refurbished the farm in 2010 into fully lined ponds, iKERPAN gradually switched to a Vannamei and Monodon mix. iSHARP, being a fully lined pond setup, started operating in 2011 with a vannamei-monodon mix from the start.” Nadhri explained.

Adapting to market trends

With a production capacity of 6,000 tonnes per annum combined with its own processing plant, the composition of vannamei and monodon production at BA is more flexible, depending on the latest supply-demand conditions. Moreover, according to Nadhri, the company’s status as a volume producer, with over 400 ponds and a processing plant, allows them to adjust their stocking plans to align with prevailing cultural trends in Malaysia.

“For example, if we sense that other producers are having a good vannamei season, BA will add more monodon ponds so that we do not overflood the market with our vannamei. Beyond that, other factors would be market demand especially for the export of monodon, disease trend, and availability of monodon PLs,” he says.

In terms of market targets, Nadhri explains that vannamei and monodon have distinct consumer segments. Vannamei is typically marketed towards a mass market due to its affordability. On the other hand, monodon is considered a niche market with a higher price, averaging RM 7-8/kg more than vannamei. BA distributes its products in both local and international markets, including China, Japan, and France.

Meanwhile, the profitability between the two species varies depending on the producer’s objectives. It largely depends on whether the farmers prioritize the number of cycles per year, volume per hectare, or the margin per kilogram of shrimp. For producers like BA, who operate their own processing plant, the processing costs can also impact their on-farm revenue.

Production system

What BA is doing in producing monodon may surprise us. The company with the brand Pelagos cultivates the monodon at a relatively high density, ranging from 35 to 55 shrimps per square meter, with an average of 40 shrimps per square meter. Meanwhile, for vannamei, the density is 65 to 150 shrimps per square meter, with an average of 90 shrimps per square meter. With this kind of density, their monodon’s productivity per cycle can be quite impressive, reaching 8 to 12 tons per hectare, comparable to their vannamei’s 8 to 14 tons per hectare. This means that both productivities are quite similar. However, vannamei can go through 2.4 to 4 cycles

per annum, whereas monodon can only be stocked 2 to 2.5 times per annum. In detail, Nadhri explains some of the standard operating procedures implemented by BA. These include the application of semi-floc and plankton-based preparation, using 10-30 ppm of chlorine gas for disinfection, and utilizing a combination of paddlewheel aerators totaling at 12-16 HP for each pool as needed. Additionally, BA uses large ponds sized from 0.5 - 0.8 hectares, as well as circular tanks with a volume of 200 tons.

“For our circular tanks, root blowers and paddlewheels are utilized. All ponds are fully HDPE lined and supported by auto-feeders and central discharge. Probiotics are also used to control vibrio depending on the month of the year. We do not use functional feed or additives,” Nadhri adds.

Beyond that, BA implements a modular layout with each module supported by its own sub-supply canal, sub-discharge canal, and treatment ponds. This system is designed to cater to both traditional ponds and circular tanks. It provides the BA’s production planners with a high degree of flexibility when choosing between vannamei and monodon, as well as responding to external factors such as seasonal changes.

Another thing that is going well is the new concept of pond shape and size. Nadhri thinks that smaller and circular ponds will be the future of aquaculture and will revolutionize this industry. “By going smaller, we can achieve easier control, faster turnaround, more flexibility, and better mitigation,” he concludes.

Photo source: Blue Archipelago

lTHE CRUST - AB, RIZKY

WET MARKET

By: Mida

PThe South Americans have long treasured the Chinese market as they have been able to sell HOSO shrimp there with minimum processing. Combined with the superior farming techniques, most of the time using extensive farming practices & utilising a singular land mass where shrimp is easily transported from farm to factory, the South Americans (and especially the Ecuadorians) have cornered the Chinese markets in the way no other player could. is a focus on peeled items for the US to avoid the dependence on Asia. The traditional exporters to the US market, Indonesian & India have to be aware of the competition.

reliminary data of last years shrimp exports are out. Shrimp insights reported that Ecuador finally surpassed the 1,000,000MT volume annual exports of shrimp. This is an increase of 21% over 2021. The figure was set to be even higher but the turmoil of the last quarter of last year saw a drop in demand. Keep in mind that the bulk of Ecuadorian production is geared towards head on production but increasingly there

Ecuador is only 2 weeks sailing time to either the east cost or west cost of the USA compared to 20 days from India and anywhere between 30 & 45 days of Indonesia. This gives them a strong edge as American importers no longer have to place an order & risk having the market move in the 60 days it would take them to finally see their shrimp.

The Chinese have the volume requirements & the Ecuadorians have the quality. As much as 80% of Ecuadorian shrimp went to China in the past. Covid showed that being ultra reliant on China was a mistake. As such, in mid-late 2020 the Ecuadorian shrimp industry switched into high gear to adjust their production for the US market. Today, they are able to supply shrimp on par with the Indian quality, reaching the markets faster & sometimes with even better prices.

If not addressed, this could spell doom for Indonesia, traditionally the world’s third largest shrimp producer. Preliminary statistics show that even when the market tanked in 2022, Indonesian shrimp still marginally increased which shows that Indonesian farmers are still making profits even at the reduced buying prices of the US. With the emergence of Ecuador, Indonesia will have to take a good hard look at their shrimp industry. As it is, quality wise the Indians have them on the backfoot. Add the Ecuadorian easy access to the market & their phenomenal volumes there is no easy way for the Indonesians to regain the initiative.

INDONESIA’S L. VANNAMEI SHRIMP EXPORT VOLUME FROM 2018-2022 Christopher Tan CEO

Dhaval Bamaniya

Monodon in India:

REVIVAL OF THE BLACK TIGER

Since the early days of shrimp farming in India, monodon has been the primary species. This Indian endemic species seemed very promising until the end of the 2000s when the WSSV (White Spot Syndrome Virus) outbreak ruined monodon cultivation. So, the farmers shifted to cultivating vannamei, which at the time was genetically better.

After intensively introducing in 2009 in India, vannamei has become a game-changer for the country’s seafood industry and has significantly boosted national productivity. However, vannamei didn’t always seem to run in a good way. In recent years, this introduced species has brought a new set of challenges, including disease outbreaks, low selling prices, high feed costs, and poor survival rates.

This condition is confirmed by the founder and CEO of Mayank Aquaculture, Dr. Manoj M. Sharma. He states that many farmers in several regions have started to try cultivating black tiger again. “Seventy percent [farmers] in Gujarat may shift to monodon, twenty percent in West Bengal may shift to monodon, and Andhra Pradesh [may shift] maximum at ten percent.” Dr. Manoj reveals. In addition, some regions cannot shift to monodon due to their local condition, such as north Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, having low salinity, which is unsuitable for monodon.

However, despite being the largest producer of black tiger shrimp in the past, farmers’ return to this species faces some challenges, including the market. According to Manoj, after a decade of not so much cultivation of monodon, the market has shifted to other countries such as Bangladesh and Vietnam. And it will take time to rebuild India’s image as a black tiger producer.

On the other hand, some stakeholders in India’s shrimp industry have yet to be ready to embrace the return of monodon, as the vannamei ecosystem has already become well-established. Moreover, the intensive farming practices for vannamei have grown the economy significantly due to the volume of vannamei, which positively impacts seed and feed requirements. Switching to monodon will simply reduce these demands and wastes their investments.

SPF seed brings new hope

The team leader of shrimp feed company Godrej Agrovet Limited, Dhaval Bhamaniya, says that the collapse of monodon at that time was due to the low quality of seed caused by still using wild-caught broodstock. The disaster has sharply declined the monodon production from 1,3 million tons in 2011 to only 27,616 tons in 2021 and 52,000 in 2022. At the same time, van-

namei production dominated at around 900,000 tons.

“If you look back ten years from today, India was predominantly known for their endemic monodon farming, which the majority depends on wild brooders. However, this industry collapsed in the last decade due to poor survival rate, disease outbreak, growth, and poor knowledge of genetics

in the domestic shrimp industry,” he recalls.

However, many farmers are trying to return to the black tiger, not only because of the complex situation in vannamei but also because the ecosystem has begun to form again. The most critical and decisive factor is the development of the SPF monodon.

The good news is that the government has already given a signal to revive the industry through research and development to produce quality broodstock, even though the result wasn’t as fast as expected. As for now, the government already gives permission to import SPF broodstock from selected countries for long-term planning.

Meanwhile, Dhaval says that “in December 2021, black tiger prawn 2.0 made a comeback in partnership with Aquaculture De La Mahajamba in Madagascar, followed by the introduction of SPF Line by Moana Technologies from the USA in January 2022. Furthermore, in August 2022, the first BMC of Moana Technologies LLC opened in Gujarat, in collaboration with Vaishnavi Aquatech.”

He adds that farmers who grow only one crop per year are happy with SPF monodon due to its fast growth, less EHP issue, and higher return on investment compared to vannamei in larger quantities. In addition, the farmers’ association in Andhra Pradesh is organizing a shrimp food festival to boost the local market.

Monodon and vannamei market difference

Even though there is a massive movement from vannamei to monodon, according to Manoj, monodon will only partially replace vannamei because both have different markets. Vannamei is like broiler chicken which targets the mass market at an affordable price. In comparison, monodon is like country chicken which has a niche market with a relatively higher price.

Manoj states that the global market demand right now for monodon is at 250,000 tons, with supply dominated by India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. However, he estimates that the market could skyrocket to 1,5 million tons in the next two to three years.

Indian monodon has three primary markets: the USA, the EU, and Japan. The US and Japan request larger sizes and headless products, while the European market demands HOSO (Head-On, Shell-On) products.

However, Dhaval says that the monodon market still needs to be well-established. Hence, producers in India need to think about various alternatives such as other markets such as Asia, the middle east, and also Russia. He also suggests that the processors be able to increase the added value through the ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat shrimp products.

He concludes, “In the long term, farmers, feed industry professionals, processors, and cold chain agents must work together. So, farmers can plan accordingly to stock their black tiger shrimp based on export potential and domestic market networking.”

Dr Manoj Sharma lTHE CRUST - AB, DENNY

Stargazing Breaktime

When was the last time you saw stars in the sky? Unfortunately, nowadays, it isn’t easy to get a glimpse of these celestial bodies when living in the city. There is simply too much light that blocks the view of these magnificent objects. Luckily, most farms are located way outside population centers, and you can easily view the night sky. So, if you spend most of your time on the farm and are looking for a new hobby, this might be something for you.

Stargazing is the practice of observing the stars and other celestial objects in the night sky. It is a hobby that has been enjoyed for thousands of years and can provide a sense of wonder, awe, and appreciation for the beauty of the universe. With the advent of modern telescopes, stargazing has become an even more accessible and enjoyable hobby. Stargazing offers something for everyone, whether you are a beginner or a seasoned astronomer.

Starting a stargazing hobby is easy and affordable. One of the most important things to have is a clear and dark sky. This means finding a location away from the bright lights of cities, towns, and highways. Your own farm or its surrounding

area is an excellent place to start. But if you don’t live on the farm, a great way is to find rural areas near you. There are also many smartphone apps that can help you find the best stargazing locations near you.

Next, you will need a means of observing the night sky. A good pair of binoculars can provide a great introduction to stargazing and allow you to see many objects in the night sky. However, for a more in­depth experience, a telescope is recommended. Telescopes come in a wide range of prices, sizes, and features, so it is essential to do some research and determine what type of telescope will best suit your needs and budget.

Once you have your equipment, you can begin observing the night sky. There are many objects to see, including stars, planets, nebulae, galaxies, and more. Some of the most popular things to observe include the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn. These objects can be seen with the naked eye or with a small telescope, providing a great starting point for your stargazing journey.

In addition to these objects, there are also many notable events that occur in the night sky. One such event is

a meteor shower. Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through a stream of debris from a comet, causing the debris to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere and create a spectacular display of shooting stars. The most famous meteor shower, the Perseid Meteor Shower, occurs in August and is visible from most locations on Earth.

Another notable event that can be seen from the night sky is a lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth’s shadow, causing it to appear reddish in color. This is due to the Earth’s atmosphere bending the light and making it appear red. Lunar eclipses are relatively common and can be seen from most locations on Earth.

In conclusion, stargazing is a fascinating and enjoyable hobby that offers something for everyone. With the right equipment and a clear and dark sky, you can explore the beauty of the night sky and discover the wonders of the universe. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced astronomer, stargazing is a hobby that can provide a sense of wonder and appreciation for the beauty of the universe.

Photo source: JWST

Shrimp is love

Shrimp is life

The more I know, the more I realize how little I understand. So stay humble and keep on learning.

I probably be up in the sky, deep in the sea, exploring the unknown, or building a shrimp farm

My secret to joy in life is in finding balance. Balance in family, sweating, and making decisions.