Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) scientists and industry partners have developed what they claim could be the world''s “most perfect prawn”.
After 10 years of research into the popular black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon), CSIRO's Food Futures Flagship and Australian prawn farmers have developed a new shrimp that is producing record farm yields.
With around 50% of all prawns sold in Australia being imported from other countries, such as China and Vietnam, developing an Australian shrimp that breeds better and can be sustainably farmed is a boost for both the local industry and for consumers wanting to buy Australian seafood, CSIRO said.
The company said the Australian black tiger, developed through collaboration between its Food Futures Flagship and industry partners, has a number of positive features:
- Developed and bred in Australia – the new breed is providing a real boost for the shrimp farming industry in Australia, resulting in job growth, more profitable and productive businesses, and fresher home-grown product.
- Taste – the new black tiger breed has won five gold medals at the Sydney Royal Easter Show for Gold Coast Marine Aquaculture in the last two years, including the highest award possible: ‘Champion of Show’.
- Sustainable and renewable – the new breed is grown and farmed in drought-proof salt water ponds, which eases pressure on ocean/estuary stocks. Having a home grown supply of breeding stock also allows for continuity and consistency of production.
- More productive – the new breeds have improved growth and survival rates, boosting pond yields by more than 50%. The average industry productivity for farmed shrimp is five tonnes per hectare. The new species produced an average of 12.8 tonnes per hectare last year (2009). After eight generations of selective breeding at one Australian farm, the average yield of the new breed this year (2010) is 17.5 tonnes per hectare. One pond produced 24.2 tonnes per hectare – a world record yield result for black tiger shrimp.
- Securing food supply – the sustainable and high yielding new breed could play an important role in helping secure food supplies around the world through the production of a more sustainable, continuous, consistent and higher yielding source of healthy protein.
CSIRO said independent economic analysis indicates that if the entire Australian black tiger shrimp industry adopted this new breeding technology, it would increase the industry’s production from 5,000 tonnes to 12,500 tonnes and add AUD 120 million (€66.5 million/$100.5 million) to the value of the industry by 2020 (assuming no further expansion of production area).
The average industry productivity for farmed prawns is five tonnes per hectare. The new shrimp produced an average of 17.5 tonnes per hectare this year.
The significance of the research project is in dramatically improving the production efficiency and profitability of locally produced seafood.
Domesticated founder stocks have been established at three farms. Broodstock rearing knowledge and technology has been transferred from CSIRO to each farm.
Novel genetic and viral health screening and mating allocation systems developed by CSIRO, are being implemented on-farm.
The use of genetic markers means that natural mating is now a cost-effective alternative to rearing each breeding family in separate tanks.
The viral screening technology is assisting the industry to develop breeds that are highly tolerant to endemic diseases.
