Comparative costs of postlarval production from wild or domesticated Kuruma shrimp, Penaeus japonicus (Bate), broodstock

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Abstract
The present study compares the relative costs of stocking ponds with postlarvae from wild or domesticated Kuruma shrimp, Penaeus japonicus (Bate), broodstock. Wild broodstock were obtained from a commercial trawler. Domesticated broodstock were reared to harvest size (wet weight = 25 g) on a commercial farm and then transferred to controlled environment tanks where they were grown to a final wet weight of 50 g. The costs of stocking ponds with postlarvae were calculated from the observed reproductive output, the costs of purchasing wild broodstock and the costs of domesticated broodstock production in the controlled environment facility. Domesticated P. japonicus spawned comparable numbers of eggs to wild broodstock of similar size, but hatching success was significantly lower. A total of 12 domesticated P. japonicus broodstock would be needed to produce the postlarvae to stock a 1-ha pond, compared to only six wild broodstock. However, the much higher relative costs of wild broodstock means that the cost of using their postlarvae would be Aus$851 per pond compared to Aus$390 for domesticated broodstock. The present authors conclude that the use of domesticated P. japonicus broodstock could be a cost-effective alternative to wild broodstock in Australia and in other countries where P. japonicus is farmed.