INVESTIGATION OF COPEPODS AS A LIVE FEED FOR LARVAL SHRIMP CULTURE

Hawaiian Specific Pathogen-Free or SPF shrimp breeding has been an important genetic resource of seedstock for vannamei broodstock business and world-wide shrimp production. we are interested in developing innovative technologies for quality broodstock breeding and PL production. During larval rearing in aquaculture the survival rate can plummet at a couple key stages of larval development. In production, keeping the survival rate high in all stages is economically important. Previous studies have shown that copepods as a live feed for shrimp larvae increases the survivability and growth rates. The technology is not widely implemented due to the difficulty in keeping steady copepod cultures. Through evaluations of the predator-prey interactions a case for the efficacy of implementing more high value live feeds such as copepods in the larval culture in Hawaii can be made.

An investigation for the optimal algal diets of the copepod E. acutifrons and the cultivation of locally sourced phytoplankton has provided further information to be used in production protocols and provides copepods as a viable source of live feed. Evaluation of the capture success rates and preference of Litopenaeus vannamei on the feeding of three copepod developmental stages also provides needed data for optimal protocol development.

Utilizing observational study, the findings of this study confirms that E. acutifrons is a high potential species for shrimp larviculture due to the continued capture success and preferences by L. vannamei. The E. acutifrons also had high culture productivity, adding to its advantages as a live feed.