Aggregative Indexes as Tools for Assessing Water Quality in Aquaculture: A Case Study from Nayarit, Mexico.

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

1 Escuela Nacional de Ingeniería Pesquera, Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit, Tepic, México.

2 Facultad de Ciencias Químico Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Culiacán, México.

3 Facultad de Ciencias Químico Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Tepic, México.

10.22059/poll.2025.397354.2998

Abstract

Nayarit, is a leading aquaculture state in Mexico, so evaluating the physicochemical characteristics of the water is essential for monitoring the region's aquaculture systems. For this, the objective was to evaluate the hydrological and ecological suitability of water in shrimp production. Physical and chemical variables (dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, turbidity, and salinity) were measured at 15 pumping water points during the winter and summer seasons. The Hydrological Aptitude Index (HAI) was calculated weighing the parameters from highest to lowest according to their importance for shrimp development. The ecological suitability was assessed following the guidelines of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) for Ecological Criteria for Water Quality compliance. The results indicated that the parameters dissolved oxygen (2.2 to 10.3 mg/L), temperature (24 to 35 °C) and pH (7.3 to 9.1) were identified as significant predictors of water quality according to the Mann-Whitney test (p < 0.05). Winter offered the best conditions for shrimp; the HAI classified hydrological suitability from requiring little management to having excellent quality (6 - 10) in 66.7 % of the samples. Although, a lack of correlation with shrimp productivity is shown in the Spearman test (p > 0.05). According to CCME, ecological conditions rarely or sometimes deviate from desirable levels (65-94) at 53.3% of sites. This research sets a precedent for the current state of aquaculture tributaries in Nayarit and proposes the use of quality indices as a tool for the comprehensive analysis of water suitability for Litopenaeus vannamei production.

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Pollution

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 21 December 2025

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