LAUSR

Abstract Any sustainable aquaculture system should have low environmental impact, and high social and economic acceptability. To address these issues in brackishwater aquaculture, performance of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) models with three different species combinations (T1, T2 and T3) was compared with conventional polyculture (C) in low-saline ponds (500 m2) in triplicate. In a 150-day field trial, ponds under T1, T2, T3 and C were stocked with Mugil cephalus, Liza tade and Peneaus monodon at 2000, 10000 and 30000 no. ha−1, respectively as fed-species. In addition, T1 and T3 contained water spinach, Ipomoea aquatica at 200 kg ha−1, and T2 and T3 contained oyster, Crassostrea cuttackensis at 2000 no. ha−1 as extractive species. Experimental animals were fed with a low cost pellet feed (Crude protein 31%). The inorganic nutrient parameters (nitrogenous and phosphorus compounds) of water improved in all three IMTA treatment ponds in comparison to C. On the final day, dissolved organic carbon content was significantly the lowest (P   0.05) higher in T3 compared to that of T1, T2 and C. However, growth of tiger shrimp, P. monodon was significantly higher (P