February 15-18, 2009 Washington State Convention Center Seattle ...

DEVELOPMENT OF SPF STOCKS OF BAIT SHRIMP Litopenaeus setiferus AND
DEMONSTRATION OF LOW COST MATURATION AND LARVAL SYSTEMS
Alisha D. Lawson*, Jason Haveman, John W. Leffler, Beth L. Thomas, Jesus A. Venero, Al D. Stokes
and Craig L. Browdy
SCDNR - Waddell Mariculture Center
211 Sawmill Creek Rd.
Bluffton, SC 29910 USA
LawsonA@dnr.sc.gov
A NOAA National Marine Aquaculture Research Initiative has focused on producing specific pathogen free broodstock of
Litopenaeus setiferus and Farfantepenaeus duorarum. At the Waddell Mariculture Center (WMC) in Bluffton, South Carolina,
F1 nauplii were produced from artificially inseminated spawners collected off the coast of Charleston SC in 2006 and 2007.
Following disease testing and larval culture, broodstock were produced in WMC ponds and distributed to commercial postlarvae
producers. During 2007, several families were reared individually, tagged and grown out to broodstock size to establish a
founder stock.
Present research at the WMC has focused on demonstrating low cost small scale maturation and hatchery production systems.
F2 SPF L. setiferus broodstock were maintained in three 12 ft diameter indoor tanks. The shrimp were separated by sex with
two tanks containing 75 females and a third tank stocked with 75 males. The unisex system was operated according to (Browdy
et al. 1996). Tanks received UV treated fresh seawater (72% per day) and were linked by a recirculation system (145% exchange
per day) incorporating particulate, biological and UV filtration. Temperature in maturation systems was maintained
at 25-26 C. by heating or chilling incoming seawater to minimize potential for male reproductive tract melanization. Shrimp
were fed frozen adult Artemia, squid, marine polychaetes, and a maturation diet (Zeigler Bros, Garners, PA). Photoperiod was
manipulated using dawn/dusk simulators (light from 11:30 p.m. to 10:30 a.m.). Beginning 2 weeks after eyestalk ablation, each
morning females with mature ovaries were sourced from all female tanks and moved to all male tanks for mating as necessary.
The females were checked for mating 90 minutes after dusk and moved to covered spawning tanks. Within 24 hours, females
were placed back into their tank of origin and fertile spawns were harvested and moved into larval rearing tanks. Maturation
and spawning efforts produced 4 million nauplii over a period of 3.5 months and little or no signs of male reproductive tract
degeneration were observed in the male tank where females had been introduced for mating.
A larval rearing system was built using six 1000 L fiber glass tanks and two 10,000 L water treatment reservoirs. Larvae were
fed a mixed diet, based upon larval stages, of an algal species of Chaetoceros, frozen or live Artemia nauplii, microcapsulated
liquid larval diet and dry larval diets (Zeigler Bros Inc. At PL 7 to PL 12 , larvae were harvested and distributed for bait shrimp
production trials. These efforts have established founder stocks and demonstrated technologies necessary for commercialization
of US bait shrimp production.
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