Two new strains of Pacific white shrimp have been successfully developed to strengthen Thailand’s aquaculture industry, according to the Department of Fisheries.
The new strains — Petchada 1, a fast-growing genotype, and Sida 1, a disease-resistant genotype — will help keep the domestic shrimp-farming industry secure, said Praphan Leepayakul, the department’s deputy chief.
The department has worked with the Agricultural Research Development Agency to revive white shrimp farm numbers that have been in decline since 2012 due to an outbreak of Early Mortality Syndrome, also known as Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (EMS-AHPND).
Mr Praphan said the bacterial disease had substantially damaged Thailand’s aquaculture sector.
White shrimp is in great demand in both domestic and overseas markets. It is a major source of export revenue, generating an average of 100 billion baht in income per year.
“The development could help in building up a sustainable shrimp industry,” said Mr Praphan.
The new strains were developed by a team of marine biologists using selective breeding and molecular genetic marker methods.
To evaluate genetic diversity and study disease-free DNA, the team selected various strains of Pacific white shrimp from the United States, Guam and Thailand.
The shrimp were fed in a biosecure system to study their growth capacity and genetic diversity.
The study showed that Thailand’s domestic strains were the best as a base population.
The Petchada 1 breeder was developed at the Genetic Aqua-Animal Research and Development Centre in Phetchaburi province. It has high growth potential when compared with shrimp from other sources.
The Sida 1 breeder, which comes from the Genetic Aqua-Animal Research and Development Centre in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, has the highest EMS-AHPND survival rate, compared to its counterparts.
“It is still under the research and development process,” said Mr Praphan. “The next step is to test it on a commercial scale. We hope that it will be a significant step towards a sustainable shrimp industry by reducing losses among shrimp farmers.”