Farming freshwater prawns A manual for the culture of ... - eXtension

Introduction
THE WORDS ‘PRAWN’ AND ‘SHRIMP’ are often used synonymously. Actual use is geographically
dependent. For example, animals of the genus Macrobrachium are referred to
as freshwater prawns in Australia and freshwater shrimp in the United States of America
(USA). In its statistical data, FAO refers to the genus Macrobrachium as freshwater
prawns but also uses the word prawn for many species of marine shrimp, including the
banana prawn (Fenneropenaeus merguiensis), the giant tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon)
and the kuruma prawn (Marsupenaeus japonicus) (FAO 2001).
This manual is intended to be a practical guide to the farming of freshwater prawns
and is meant primarily for extension, rather than research workers. Its contents are a synthesis
of practical experience and published information. The manual also has some relevance
for the enhancement of freshwater prawn fisheries, since this requires the provision
of hatchery-reared animals for stocking purposes. The introduction of M. rosenbergii and
related species into reservoirs and the enhancement of existing capture fisheries has had
some current success, notably in Brazil, India and Thailand. Further developments will
require hatchery-reared postlarvae (PL) and juveniles for stocking purposes. Although the
new manual is primarily concerned with aquaculture, parts of it (particularly the sections
on broodstock, hatchery management and marketing) are also relevant to the enhancement
of freshwater prawn fisheries. Further reading on the topic of capture fisheries and
enhancement is available in New, Singholka and Kutty (2000). Those interested in the science
that supports freshwater prawn farming can find a comprehensive review in New and
Valenti (2000).
Although several species of freshwater prawns are currently being cultured, this
manual deals exclusively with the farming of the major commercial species
(Macrobrachium rosenbergii), which is indigenous to South and Southeast Asia, parts of
Oceania and some Pacific islands. M. rosenbergii has been imported into many other tropical
and subtropical areas of the world and is the species most favoured for farming purposes.
The use of the words ‘freshwater prawns’ and ‘prawns’ in this manual, except where
otherwise specifically qualified, refers to M. rosenbergii. This species remains by far the
INTRODUCTION
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