Effect of number of spawns on the resulting spawn quality of 1-year-old pond-reared Penaeus vannamei (Boone) broodstock

For production of shrimp larvae in a commercial hatchery, multiple spawning of females is highly desirable, provided spawn quality is not affected. Using biochemical and production approaches, 349 females were individually followed, and 69 spawns were sampled over a 3-month period. The quantity of eggs and nauplii per spawn was greater in females with multiple spawns. Several indicators of spawn quality, such as fertilization and hatching rates, per cent of viable spawns, and morphometric characteristics of eggs and nauplii were not affected by consecutive spawns. Analyses of egg and nauplii biochemical composition indicate that adequate transfer of nutrients to eggs is not compromised with successive rematurations and spawnings. Strategies that focus on the selection of shrimp with multiple spawning capacities could be a promising approach to increasing larvae production.