Research Product

Eye-enucleated pink shrimp, Penaeus duorarum, were successfully matured, mated, and spawned in 1.23-m diameter tanks. Broodstock of five to six female shrimp spawned, on average, 50% of days during which expanded ovaries were observed. Average daily spawn of viable eggs ranged from 2,750 (September) to 11,026 (March). In a preliminary experiment, shrimp fed the bloodworm, Glycera dibranchiata, as well as maturation pellets, produced twice the number of eggs as the shrimp fed pellets only. Survival of shrimp from egg to postlarvae fed the unicellular algae, Isocrysis galbana or Tetraselmis chuii or the diatom Chaetoceros gracilis and combination rations of I. galbana with T. chuii, or Akeletonema costatum, suggests that I. galbana is inadequate as food for pink shrimp. The greatest survival (83 + or - 3.2%) was obtained with C. gracilis, indicating that it is a better food.