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Broodstock & Hatchery
Shrimp broodstock and hatchery in 2020: Making waves with fast growth lines New vannamei broodstock lines meet farmers’ wishes for fast growth, survival and needs of diverse farming environments. By Zuridah Merican
Vannamei broodstock.
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n early 2020, it was time to restock ponds all over Asia, but the hatcheries had yet to receive new broodstock! India’s high season for post larvae demand starts in February to end of March. Broodstock suppliers resorted to various ways to reach customers amid chaos with logistics. Chartered flights were used in India and Vietnam to deliver broodstock while some countries such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were caught short and did not receive broodstock over a certain period, according to major broodstock suppliers. The SyAqua team innovated and made flexible logistics arrangements. “This included using multiple routes and even refrigerated trucks from the multiplication centre in Phuket to Bangkok when flights were grounded,” said Dr Thomas Gitterle, Breeding and Genetics Director, SyAqua. Over in Hawaii, the Hendrix Genetics team had difficulty getting its supplies of Kona Bay broodstock from Kauai Island to Asia. “If we were able to find an airline that was willing to take our stock, they were less experienced in handling live animals or connections were slower. This
January/February 2021 AQUA Culture Asia Pacific
ended up in longer transit time with subsequent higher mortality rates,” said Ton Hovers, Business Development Manager at Hendrix Genetics. While costs of logistics rose, so did the cost of brood stock, which rose by 30% to 50%. With a shortage of broodstock, there were reports of hatcheries resorting to existing broodstock and extending their use from the usual 3 months. In recent years, there have been many new players in Asia’s SPF (specific pathogen free) vannamei broodstock trade. Readers can refer to the review by Willem van der Pijl on the Litopenaeus vannamei broodstock production, trade and trends, published by Shrimp Insights (https:// shrimpinsights.com). In 2020, the Coastal Aquaculture Authority of India approved SyAqua for their USA origin Kentucky lines. The company’s largest broodstock market is China and is growing fast in Indonesia where it also has a hatchery.
