Reproductive performance of non-ablated Penaeus vannamei females in a Brazilian commercial hatchery

Abstract

In Brazil, Penaeus vannamei breeding is performed in specialized hatcheries. In the reproduction phase of larviculture, most of the time, it is used broodstock that undergo a maturation induction by eyestalk ablation. However, the use of this technique may present different disadvantages, as other physiological and metabolic processes are also affected by the removal of the eyestalk. This study aimed to perform a comparative analysis between ablation and non-ablation effects on the reproductive process of P. vannamei females. It was observed that the NAF showed higher values (p<0.05) for mating frequency (16.5 ± 4.7 days), spawning frequency (17.8 ± 4.8 days), number of eggs/female (297,208 ± 24,827), number of nauplii/female (210,625 ± 21,681). On the other hand, the AF group presented higher values for mortality rate (39.1 ± 0.3%) and daily mating rate (11.7 ± 2.8%). Spawning rate (92.7 ± 5.3%) and hatch rate (70.8 ± 2.7%) were not affected by non-ablation. This study has shown that the use of NAF results in a superior reproductive performance when compared to the AF performance, and that the use of NAF does not compromise the zootechnical performance in the larval stage.