Source: COLLEGE OF MICRONESIA submitted to NRP
BROODSTOCK MANAGEMENT AND SEED PRODUCTION OF TIGER SHRIMP PENAEUS MONODON (FABRICIUS) TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHRIMP FARMING IN PALAU
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1018329
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Dec 3, 2019
Project End Date
Nov 14, 2021
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
COLLEGE OF MICRONESIA
PO BOX 1179
KOLONIA POHNPEI,FM 96941
Performing Department
COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION
Non Technical Summary
A three-year project is proposed to document the development of broodstock and seed production methods for the Tiger Shrimp, Penaeus monodon (Fabricius) in the Republic of Palau. Hatchery produced sub-adult P. monodon fries that were successfully produced at Palau Community College (PCC) Multi-species Hatchery in April 2017 will be reared in 12 to 60 tons capacity concrete tanks to compare and monitor the growth and gonadal maturation. Prior to stocking, the broodstock will be screened for the presence of commonly known viral and bacterial diseases. The broodstock will be fed with a combination of fresh or frozen fish meat, mollusk meat, and commercial shrimp broodstock maturation feed. Monthly sampling will be done to determine the progress in gonadal maturation and a series of larval rearing trials will be conducted to document the fecundity, larval survival rate, and growth rate. Hatchery produced shrimp fries will be provided to local farms to evaluate their growth performance. The results of the experiments will be presented in national aquaculture meetings and extension manuals will be published. Hands-on training will be made available to individuals who are interested in the seed production of tiger shrimps in Palau and the rest of the US Affiliated Islands throughout the Pacific region.
Animal Health Component
85%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
10%
Applied
85%
Developmental
5%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
30137211081100%
Knowledge Area
301 - Reproductive Performance of Animals;

Subject Of Investigation
3721 - Marine shrimp;

Field Of Science
1081 - Breeding;
Goals / Objectives
The goal of this project is to develop a captive local tiger shrimp broodstock and to producethe high-quality seeds that would support the development of sustainable farming of P. monodon in Palau. Associated to these goals are the following objectives:1. Establish broodstock holding facilities that would provide a suitable environmental condition for the gonadal maturation of tiger shrimps.2. Compare the effectiveness of using two types of broodstock holding tanks in terms of the tiger shrimp's growth, gonadal maturation, mating success, and fecundity.3. Compare the performance of tiger shrimp larvae spawned by broodstockreared in two different tanks.4. Demonstrate and disseminate reliable broodstock management and larval rearing method for tiger shrimp to the local aquaculture farmers in Palau.
Project Methods
Objective 1. Establish broodstock holding facilities that would provide a suitable environmental condition for the gonadal maturation of tiger shrimpsTwo types of broodstock holding facilities will be set up for this experiment. These will include the following: 1) rectangular concrete tank (2m x 4m) with a muddy bottom and at least 1m water depth; and 2) square concrete tank (4m x 4m) with muddy bottom and at least 3m water depth. These concrete tanks are currently available at PCC hatchery and each type of tanks can be set up in 3 replicates. Each tank will be supplied with 1 micron filtered and UV treated seawater and aeration to provide enough oxygen into the rearing water. Prior to stocking, the broodstock will be screened for the presence of commonly known viral and bacterial diseases such as the following: Taura Syndrome Virus (TSV), White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV), Infectious Hypodermal and Hematopoietic Virus (IHHV), Yellow Head Virus Disease (YHVD), HepatopamcreaticParvo-like Virus (HPV), and Monodon Bacculo Virus (MBV) (BFAR, 2009). Tissue samples will be collected from at least 5 captive shrimp broodstock and muscle and hepatopancreas tissue samples will be extracted and preserved; one in DMSO for long-term storage and the second duplicate sample will be preserved in Longmire's solution and processed for initial stages of DNA extraction. Both samples in DMSO and Longmire samples will be shipped to nearby diagnostic laboratoriesfor disease testing. Environmental parameters such as salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH and temperature will be recorded daily.Objective 2. Compare the effectiveness of using two types of broodstock holding tanks in terms of growth, gonadal maturation, mating success, and fecundity.Once the holding facilities are ready, hatchery-produced sub-adult shrimps that were previously grown in one of the tanks at PCC hatchery will be stocked at the density of 2-7/m2 with a sex ratio of 1 to 2 female:1 male (Parado-Estepa & Honculada-Primavera, 1988). Each shrimp will be tagged using 8mm RFID PIT tags (Biomark Inc). The female shrimps will be ablated to induce gonadal maturation while the male shrimps will be stocked nonablated. Studies in the Philippines mentioned that tanks made of either concrete, fiberglass, or plastic with an area of about 12 sq m. are suitable for the tiger shrimp maturation (Primavera, 1985). The shrimps will be fed twice daily with chopped mussel meat, trash shrimps, and tuna fish at a minimum daily rate of 10% of the estimated total shrimp biomass. Feeding will be done using circular trays (30 cm in diameter) that are suspended at the bottom of the tanks (Santiago et al, 1976). A commercial shrimp maturation pellets will also be fed daily at a rate of 10% of the biomass. Biosecurity within the broodstock and larval rearing area will be maintained by following the recommendations indicated in the manual published by FAO, 2007.The shrimps from each holding tank will be sampled every month and their body weight and total length will be measured. Stages of the shrimp's ovarian development will be defined according to the five maturation stages used by Rao (1969) and previously confirmed to be applicable to P. monodon (Villaluz et al., 1972). When most of the shrimps are on their advanced stage of gonadal development, weekly monitoring for spawning will be conducted. Shrimps with Stage III and Stage IV gonads will be collected and transferred to 5ton capacity circular tanks filled with UV treated and 1 micron filtered seawater for spawning. One gravid female will be placed in each tank that is provided with 10 airstones to ensure adequate agitation and aeration for newly- spawned eggs. In the morning following the spawning, spent females together with detritus will be removed from the tanks while the released eggs will be examined and counted under a dissecting microscope.Objective 3. Compare the performance of tiger shrimp larvae spawned by broodstock reared in two different tanks.All the gravid females that are retrieved will be recorded and their spawning tanks will be labeled to identify what type of holding tank they came from. Each animal will be weighed and measured. Larval rearing following the standard hatchery methods as recommended by Parado-Estepa & Honculada, 1988 will be conducted. Larval rearing will be conducted in 3 units of 6tons capacity concrete tanks that are supplied with filtered, UV sterilized and temperature-controlled seawater. The total number of larvae produced, growth and survival rate will be recorded. Important water quality parameters that include the dissolved oxygen (D.O.), salinity, temperature, pH, ammonia-N, and nitrite-N will also be recorded during the larval rearing trials.Objective 4. Demonstrate and disseminate reliable broodstock management and larval rearing method for tiger shrimp to the local aquaculture farmers in Palau.A series of hatchery production trials for tiger shrimp will be conducted each time gravid female shrimps become available. Hatchery produced shrimp post-larvae will be given to local farmers to support their shrimp farming operations. Interested individuals and fish farmers who wish to learn the actual management of shrimp broodstock and hatchery operation will attend on-site training during each production cycle. A series of training workshops and lectures will be conducted to extend the technology to interested individuals throughout the Pacific region (Hawaii and U.S. Affiliated Islands). A practical field guide and extension manual will be published to package to technology that will be generated.

Progress 12/03/19 to 11/14/21

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this research project includes the existing aquaculture farmers, researchers, policy makers, government aquaculture workers, existing aquaculture hatchery operators, fishfarm technicians, hatchery technicians, school teachers, students, and people in the community who are interested to learn aquaculture. Changes/Problems:The major problem that was encountered during the first and second-year implementation of this project was the difficulty in obtaining a sufficient number of locally sources tiger shrimp broodstock in Palau. Importation of Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) tiger shrimp fry or juveniles from sources outside Palau (Such as Hawaii, Taiwan, or the Philippines) was not materializeddue to travel restrictions due to the COVID19 pandemic. Another problem that also made the PIdecide to discontinue andterminate the project washis decision to resignfrom his job as Aquaculture Researcher at PCC effective September 31, 2021. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1. Establish broodstock facilities that would provide a suitable environmental condition for the gonadal maturation of tiger shrimps. In January 2020, three 2m x 6m x 1.2m concrete rectangular tanks and three 5m x 5m x 3m concrete square tanks were prepared to house the locally sourcedtiger shrimps, Penaeus monodon for gonadal maturation and monitoring for captive spawning. Each tank was provided with 1 micron and UV filtered seawater and aeration lines. Objective 2. Compare the effectiveness of using two types of broodstock holding tanks in terms of the tiger shrimp's growth, gonadal maturation, mating success, and fecundity While waiting for the availability of additional tiger shrimp broodstock that will be sourced from the local fishermen and existing fish farms around Palau,sIx tiger shrimps weighing about 40g to 50g (2 females and 4 males) that were previously reared in one of the outdoor nursery tanks at PCC hatchery were transferred to one of the 5m x 5m x 3m broodstock tanks. These shrimps were fed with a high-protein shrimp maturation diet that was purchased from Taiwan. The shrimps were monitored daily for mating events and signs forgonadal maturation, however, no signs of gonadal development wereobserved. The shrimps started dying after 6 months of rearing and the cause of mortality was attributed to aging and disease due to bacterial infection. The search for another batch of local tiger shrimp broodstock was continued and on June 20, 2021, fifty (50) local tiger shrimp broodstock weighing about 60g to 80g were collected from the brackishwater fishpond in Ngchesar State. These shrimps were brought to PCC hatchery and were kept in 2 units 10tons capacity rectangular concrete tanks supplied with flow-through 1micron filtered and UV sterilized seawaterto conditionshrimps in a captive environmentbeforestocking in the broodstock tanks. The shrimps are fed daily with high protein maturing broodstock pelletized feed in combination with sliced frozen squid and monitored for signs of gonadal development. The shrimps grew healthy without any mortality, however, there were no signs of gonadal development after 3 months of rearing. Objective 3. Compare the performance of tiger shrimp larvae spawned by broodstockreared in two different tanks. Nothing to report. Objective 4. Demonstrate and disseminate reliable broodstock management and larval rearing method for tiger shrimp to the local aquaculture farmers in Palau. Nothing to report.

Publications


    Progress 12/03/19 to 09/30/20

    Outputs
    Target Audience:The target audience for this research project includes aquaculture researchers, hatchery operators, hatchery technicians, aquaculture farmers, and policymakers. Changes/Problems:The major problem that was encountered during the first-year implementation of this project was the difficulty in obtaining sufficient numbers of juveniles thatwere needed for stocking in the broodstock tanks. Importation ofSPF tiger shrimp fry or juveniles from sources outside of Palau (such as Hawaii, Taiwan, or the Philippines) is considered an alternative to moving forward with the 1st objective of the project once the travel restrictions are lifted. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The researcher will continue to follow-up with thefishpond owners for their upcoming schedule of pond draining so that collection of local tiger shrimp will be done. The researcher will prepare traps and work with local fishermen to capturewild tiger shrimps alongthe mangrove channels, A follow-up communication with the shrimp hatchery in Hawaii and other nearby countries will be done andarrange the purchase and shipping of SPF tiger shrimp juveniles to Palau once the travel restrictions are lifted.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1. Establish broodstock facilities that would provide a suitable environmental condition for the gonadal maturation of tiger shrimps. Three 2m x 6m x 1.2m rectangular concrete tanks and three 5m x 5m x 3m square concrete tanks were prepared as broodstock culture tanks for the tiger shrimps, Penaeus monodon in January 2020.While waiting for the completion of the broodstock tanks, local fishermen and fish farmers who own fish ponds were contacted for the possible sources of juveniles or pre-adult shrimps that will be used in the experiments. At the same time, six tiger shrimpsweighing about 40g to 50 g body weight (2 females and 4 males) that were previously maintained in one of the nursery tanks at PCC hatchery were transferred to one of the5m x 5m x 3mbroodstock tanks.These shrimps were fed with a shrimp maturation diet and were monitored for mating and the development of gonads.After six months of monitoring, none of the shrimp broodstock mated and showed any presence of gonads. The shrimps started dying and currently, there is no shrimp left in the broodstock tank because none survived. Mortality may be caused by unknown disease infection and aging. None of the fishermen and fish pond owners that were contacted for the sources of wild-caught tiger shrimp broodstock notified the researcher about the availability of juveniles from their farms.Efforts are now being focused on how to obtaintiger shrimp juveniles for stocking in the broodstock tanks. A tiger shrimp hatchery in Hawaii that produces specific pathogen-free (SPF) tiger shrimps was also contacted for any possibility of shipping the fry or juveniles to Palau, however, there was no progress due to uncertainty resulting from recent travel restrictions. Objective 2. Compare the effectiveness of using two types of broodstock holding tanks in terms of the tiger shrimp's growth, gonadal maturation, mating success, and fecundity. Nothing to report yet. Objective 3. Compare the performance of tiger shrimp larvae spawned by broodstock reared in two different tanks. Nothing to report yet. Objective 4. Demonstrate and disseminate reliable broodstock management and larval rearing methods for tiger shrimp to the local aquaculture farmers in Palau. Nothing to report yet.

    Publications