EFFECTS OF EYESTALK ABLATION ON THE MOLTING, GROWTH AND SURVIVAL OF KADAL SHRIMP

Abstract

Due to the growing demand, marine crustacean species are becoming a significant part of the export economy of Bangladesh. Therefore, sustainable shrimp culture technologies are a prerequisite for better aquaculture and export output. Here, Metapenaeus dobsoni, known as yellow shrimp which is highly adapted to our coastal conditions can play a big role to increase overall shrimp production. Eyestalk ablation is frequently employed in decapod crustaceans to hasten molting, growth, ovarian maturation, and spawning. Therefore, this study's objective was to assess the effect of eyestalk ablation on growth, molting, and survival of Metapenaeus dobsoni, a commercially important marine shrimp species of Bangladesh. M. dobsoni was ablated unilaterally or bilaterally and reared in the aquarium conditions (17 ppt) for a period of 30 days. Results showed that unilateral eyestalk ablation has a higher molting rate (%) and molting events compared to bilateral ablation and no ablation. In addition, specific growth rate (SGR) and higher weight gains were also observed in unilaterally ablated shrimps. In contrast, bilaterally ablated shrimp had higher mortality (%) and feed conversion efficiency (FCE) compared to unilateral and no ablated shrimp. The findings of the present study showed that unilateral eyestalk ablation may be used to speed up growth in M. dobsoni farming in the coastal area of Bangladesh. Further studies with a greater number of samples and longer duration will better confirm the findings of the present study.