Temporal and geographical patterns of yield and selected factors affecting it: growth (von Bertalanffy K and L90: length reached after 90 days culture), survival, feed conversion rate and stocking density, were analyzed for shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) cultured in the Caribbean Colombia for the period 1991-1993. Yield did not vary between years, but it did between sites, showing the Bahía de Cispatá farm the statistically highest yield in the period considered. This pattern can be explained by the fact that shrimp there grew slowly to attain a good size, concomitantly with the highest stocking density and good feed conversion rate. In contrast, shrimp of the other sites tended to grow quicker but to stagnate at smaller sizes, stocking density tended to be lower and feed conversion rate was not so good. The growth performance index 0 of P. vannamei cultured in the Caribbean Colombia were much higher than 0 values of wild penaeids, but (transformed as 0") comparable with 0, values of P. vannamei cultured in Perú.