May | June 2011

Feature title: Maturation diets for shrimp – Is there alternative to natural food?

The International magazine for the aquaculture feed industry

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In recent years, shrimp culture has become one of the most important aquaculture industries in the world. Current production

levels reach over three million tonnes per year, corresponding to a market volume of over US$10 billion (FAO 2008).

However, even with this expansion in the production there are some unknowns.

One of the problems with shrimp (and other crustacean) culture is broodstock diets and nutrition.

Currently, most, if not all, hatcheries around the world are using fresh or frozen, unprocessed marine organisms as food items. These include squid, various mollusks (mussels, oysters or clams), marine poly-chates, crustaceans such as shrimp (Peixoto et al., 2004; Preston et al., 2004, Coman et al., 2006) and Artemia biomass (Anh et al., 2008, Gandy et al., 2007). These feeds are usually topped up with nutritional additives such as vitamins, minerals and fatty acids (Hoa et al., 2009).

Maturation diets based on combina-tion of fresh and frozen marine organisms usually results in high reproductive perfor-mances for both domesticated and wild caught broodstock shrimp.

However, this practice is far from ideal, exposing the cultured animals to several major issues -

Biosecurity: Fresh and frozen food organ-isms can, potentially, become transferring vector for different pathogens and diseases. This is more so when crustaceans are been used (Coman et al., 2006). Although, recognized for their contribution to the maturation process through supplementing maturation hormones and other nutrients, the importation of crustaceans such as Artemia was banned in several countries in an attempt to reduce the risk of disease

transfer. Similarly, in many countries the use of shrimp heads or shrimp meal in maturation diets was banned. It is not known if none-crustacean organisms can transmit shrimp viruses such as white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) and yellow head virus (YHV) or others but due to their origin, post har-vest methods and storage, they are all prone to become a vector for other pathogens.

Nutritional profile: Due to the fact that fresh/frozen food organisms are been caught in the wild, their nutritional profile varied. Season, location, life cycle, pre and post harvesting methods can and will affect their nutritional profile. This inconsistency in the quality and nutritional profile makes it hard to standardize protocols even within the same company. Different countries and even regions within a country will have different access to fresh/frozen food organisms and will used them differently resulting in high fluctuation in FCR’s and performances between farmers, regions and countries culturing the same species.

Water quality: In many cases high water flow is needed following feeding of fresh / frozen food organisms. In many cases daily (or even few times during the day) siphoning is essential to keep good water quality and tank hygiene. This is obviously labor-intensive task that might also affect the brood animals.

Domestication: It is commonly accepted that wild broodstock shrimp needs fresh / frozen food organisms. For example, Conan et al., 2006 raised the hypotheseis wether the removal of crustacean component from the maturations diet for domesticated P. monodon broodstock has contributed to the broodstock low performances.

Considering the cost of broodstock (especially ‘SPF’), these are serious risks and in many cases resulting in high mortal-ity and/or reduced productivity, leading to significant financial loss.

Until now, shrimp broodstock fed matu-ration-formulated diet, pelleted or extruded did not match the performances of animals fed on fresh/frozen food (Wouters et al., 2002. Braga et al., 2010). Formulated diets tend to break down due to the unique feed-ing behavior of the animals, resulting in pol-luted water and very high FCR. Moreover, palatability and ingestion rates are usually low. Even using the same food organisms as dry meals in formulated diets didn’t result in similar performances as when fresh/frozen organisms were given.

Recently, new maturation diet (NutraFeed®) for crustacean that can completely replace the use of fresh/frozen feed was developed. The diet is semi-moist (around 30-35% moist) and manufactured as short pellets at any length and diameter needed. The diet is stable in the water for 24 hours and will not break down when the shrimp is holding and chewing it.

NutraFeed® diets are based solely on dry meals without any fresh or frozen products. They are certified as pathogen free (all ingredients pass Gamma radiation) with a shelf life of six months (refrigerated) or 12 months (frozen). To boost the hor-monal cycle, herbal extracts (NutraGreen® products) are incorporated into the diets. These are 100% natural additives aimed at improving broodstock performances includ-ing; enhancing egg and larvae quality, sperm mortality, vitellogenesis, as well as immune system and digestive system support.

Initially these natural herbal additives were developed as natural hormonal replacements for woman during IVF treat-ments and during menopause period.

Large experiment To compare the performances of the

maturation diet against traditional fresh/frozen food organism, a large experiment was conducted independently by one of

Maturation diets for shrimp – Is there alternative to natural food?

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F: Maturation diets

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performance of reciprocally crossed wild-caught and tank reared Penaeus monodon broodstock. Aquaculture 252, 372–384.

Gandy, R. L., Samocha, T. M., Masser, M. P., Fox, J. M., Ali, S. A. M., Gatlin III, D. M., and Speed, M. 2007. The effect of unilateral eyestalk ablation and diet on the reproductive performance of wild-caught Farfantepenaeus aztecus (Ives, 1891) using a closed recirculating maturation system. Aquac. Res. 38, 580–587.

Hoa, N. D., Wouters, R., Wille, R., Thanh, V., Dong, T. K., Hao, N. V., and Sorgeloos, P. 2009. A fresh-food maturation diet with an adequate HUFA composition for broodstock nutrition studies in black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon (Fabricius, 1798). Aquaculture, 297, 116-121.

Peixoto, S., Coman, G.J., Arnold, S.J., Crocos, P.J., Preston, N.P., 2005. Histological examination of final

oocyte maturation and atresia in wild and domesticated Penaeus monodon broodstock. Aquac. Res. 36, 666–673.

Preston, N.P., Crocos, P.J., Keys, S.J, Coman, G.J., Koenig, R., 2004. Comparative growth of selected and non-selected Kuruma shrimp Penaeus (Marsupenaeus) japonicus in commercial farm ponds. Aquaculture 231, 73–82.

the biggest shrimp producers in the world. The results (see Table 1) showed signifi-cant performance improvements when the broodstock fed on NutraFeed® semi-moist diet.

Moreover, using the semi-moist diet also proved to be cost effective compared to traditional diets. 200 white shrimp L. vanna-mei were fed control diet (squid, polychates and nutritional booster) or NutraFeed® SM diet. The broodstock were kept in identical tanks and under the same environmental conditions. Growth, mortalities, spawning events, fecundity, hatching rates and number of nauplii were determined over 124 days.

The diet was also used with domesti-cated P. monodon broodstock in Australia with remarkable results. This is a significant achievement since it is known that P. mon-odon are particularly picky with their diet and feeding them solely on formu-lated diet used to be challenging, not to mention, achiev-ing similar or better performances.

Currently the diet is been used in several commer-cial hatcheries in Thailand, India and Malaysia and the company is up-scal-ing the production.

ReferencesAnh, N. T. N., Hoa, N. V., Van Stappen, G., and Sorgeloos, P. 2008. Effect of different supplemental feeds on proximate composition and Artemia biomass production in salt ponds. Aquaculture, 286, 217-225.

Braga, A. L., Nakayama, C. L., Martins, J. G., Colares, E. P., and Wasielesky, W. Jr. 2010. Spermatophore quality of the pink shrimp Farfantepenaeus paulensis (Decapoda, Dendrobranchiata) broodstock fed with different maturation diets. Aquaculture, 307, 44-48.

Coman, G. J., Arnold, S. J., Callaghan, T. R., and Preston, N. P. 2006. Effect of two maturation diet combinations on reproductive performance of domesticated Penaeus monodon. Aquaculture, 263, 75-83.

Coman, G.J., Arnold, S.J., Peixoto, S., Coman, F.E., Crocos, P.J., Preston, N.P., 2006. Reproductive

Table 1: Comparison between traditional (control) fresh/frozen food and formulated semi-moist diet

Treatment Days %Mort/day Avg. SR/day Total spawns Egg/FemaleNauplii/Female % Hatch Total Nauplii

Control 124 0.09 3.34% 602 179,364 154,364 86 92,860,000

NutraFeed 124 0.05 4.74 849 186,266 160,188 86 136,000,000

Difference 44.4% 29.5% 29.1% 3.7% 3.7% 0% 46.5%

Authors & CompanyDr Sagiv Kolkovski is the Principal scientist, marine aquaculture, at the Department

of Fisheries, western Australia. He is also the R&D director at Nutrakol Pty Ltd. Judith Kolkovski, ND is a nutritionist and herbalist and the general manager of Nutrakol Pty Ltd. Nutrakol Pty Ltd is specialized in developing and manufacturing nutritional and natural health solutions for aquaculture.

Company productsNutrakol specialized in nutritional and health solutions for aquaculture. ‘Tailor-made’

diets and additives for broodstock and enrichments for larvae. These products can be manufacture to specific requirements or species. Crustacean broodstock semi-moist diets for complete replacement of fresh/frozen food. NutraGreen natural health solutions solely based on herbal extracts and specifically design to support gonadal development, immune system and digestive system.

Nutra-Kol is a vibrant Australian company focusing on the nutrition and health of aquatic organisms. Nutra-

Kol products include feed additives and natural health solutions for the aquaculture industry.

These products are the result of a unique combination of expertise in marine biology and naturopathy. Nutra-

Kol products are scientifi cally designed and tested in collaboration with commercial hatcheries, research and

development centres, universities and fi sh farmers.

The products are based on natural ingredients with the majority of them produced in Australia. Nutra-Kol is

Western Australia based, supplying worldwide.‘Tailor- -made’ Nutriti on and natural health soluti ons for aquaculture

Completely replace the need for fresh/frozen feed with even bett er results

Nutrafeed - Improved bio-security, bett er performances, great palatability and no contaminati on of the water

Ideal for SPF (specifi c pathogen free) broodstock

‘Tailor- -made’ Nutriti on and natural health soluti ons for aquaculture‘Tailor- -made’ Nutriti on and natural health soluti ons for aquaculture‘Tailor- -made’ Nutriti on and natural health soluti ons for aquaculture

Nutra-Kol Pty LtdWestern Australia, Australia

Tel: +61 8 9403 2287Fax: +61 8 9403 2287

Email: info@nutrakol.com

Meet us at World

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One of the problems with shrimp (and other crustacean) culture is broodstock diets and nutrition. Currently, most hatcheries around the world are using fresh or frozen squid, worms (polychaetes), fi sh and other marine organisms, topped up with nutritional

additives. This practice is far from ideal, exposing the

cultured animals to potential pathogens

and diseases, nutritional

inconsistency and is dependent on wild fi sheries. Considering

the cost of broodstock

(especially ‘SPF’), these are

serious risks and in many cases result in

high mortality and/or reduced productivity, leading to signifi cant fi nancial loss.

Until now, broodstock fed maturation formulated dry diet, pelleted or extruded did not match the performances of animals fed on fresh/frozen food. The dry diets tend to break down due to the unique feeding behaviour of the animals, resulting in polluted water and very high FCR. Moreover, palatability and ingestion rates are usually low.

NO MORE!Recently, NutrKol developed maturation diet (NutraFeed® diet range) for crustacea that can completely replace the use of fresh/frozen feed. The diet is semi-moist and manufactured as short pellets at any length and diameter needed. The diet is stable in the water for 24 hours and will not break down when the shrimp or lobster is holding and chewing it.

NutraFeed® diets were tested with several crustaceans including; white shrimp L. vannamei, tiger prawn P. monodon (wild and domesticated), bugs (T. orientalis) and tropical lobster (Panulirus ornatus). The diet can be designed and manufactured to any crustaceans.

NutraFeed® diets are based solely on dry meals without any fresh or frozen products. They are pathogen free (all ingredients pass Gamma radiation) with a shelf life of six months (refrigerated) or 12 months (frozen).

Herbal extracts (NutraGreen® products) are incorporated into the diets. These 100% natural additives aimed at improving broodstock performances including; enhancing egg and larvae quality, sperm motility, vitellogenesis, as well as immune system and digestive system support.

Currently, three different maturation diets are manufactured according to species: NutraFeed® SM for shrimps and prawns, NutraFeed® LM for lobsters and bugs and, NutraFeed® CM for crabs.

NutraFeed®Crustacean semi-moist maturation diet

additives. This pfrom ideal,

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Completely replace the need for fresh/frozen feed with even bett er resultsCompletely replace the need for fresh/frozen feed with even bett er resultsCompletely replace the need for fresh/frozen feed with even bett er resultsCompletely replace the need for fresh/frozen feed with even bett er results

Semi-moist maturati on diet for Shrimp

Nutrafeed - Improved bio-security, bett er performances, great palatability and no contaminati on of the waterNutrafeed - Improved bio-security, bett er performances, great palatability and no contaminati on of the waterNutrafeed - Improved bio-security, bett er performances, great palatability and no contaminati on of the waterNutrafeed - Improved bio-security, bett er performances, great palatability and no contaminati on of the water

Bett er performance

Ideal for SPF (specifi c pathogen free) broodstockIdeal for SPF (specifi c pathogen free) broodstockIdeal for SPF (specifi c pathogen free) broodstockIdeal for SPF (specifi c pathogen free) broodstock

Avoid potenti al pathogens and diseases

NutroKol_2_190x58mm.indd 1 07/04/2011 11:22

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F: Maturation diets

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VOLUME 14 I S SUE 3 2 011

THE INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE FOR THE AQUACULTURE FEED INDUSTRY

Aquaculture: Natural ingredients for sustainable

aquaculture

Maturation diets:diets for shrimp – Is there alternative to

natural food?

β-glucans:Preliminary effects of β-glucans on Nile tilapia

health and growth performance

Microalgae Microalgae and cyanobacteria

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