The Viet Uc Seafood Corporation commenced a breeding program for the black tiger prawn, Penaeus monodon, in Ca Mau Province, Vietnam in 2017. The intention of this program was to develop quality high-health domesticated and genetically-improved seed for the local Penaeus monodon farming industry from a Vietnamese-based program using Vietnamese genetics and supply the commercial needs of the local Penaeus monodon farming industries. CSIRO has played an advisory and supporting role in the program to date, initially by providing guidance on health management and husbandry of the domesticated lines, and more recently by advising on genetic management of the program.
The program commenced by evaluating the genetic diversity and similarity of two available wild stocks of Vietnamese Penaeus monodon using an existing genotyping tool, which ended in selection of candidates from Ca Mau coastal waters. Founders were introduced in three batches over a 12-month period and were screened repeatedly for a range of pathogens considered important for the Vietnamese Penaeus monodon farming industry and establishment of the program more generally. Rigorous pathogen screening continued, coupled with rigorous biosecurity measures, over the course of rearing the domesticated generations since. The program now operates three cycles per year, with between 50 and 100 families produced each generation, and with genetic links made between cycles to enable the development of a singular breeding population. The program has progressed well since establishment, with program families reaching their fifth generation by mid-2023. The program is well poised having progressed from the domestication to the genetic improvement phase, and with the focus now switched from establishing a high health domesticated genetic resource to enhancing performance gains to enable development of commercially competitive lines.
Here we discuss the development of the Viet Uc Penaeus monodon program and focus on the rationale behind the program’s establishment; the general approaches taken to progress the program; and considering the outlook of the program to develop quality stocks suited to the Vietnamese farming environment and to support the sustainability of the Vietnamese industry.