A strategic leap forward in precision aquaculture with wireless connectivity in shrimp feeding and acoustic monitoring to help farmers boost feed efficiency, and optimise pond performance.

At AQ1, innovation begins with listening. Over the years, we have worked closely with shrimp farmers, gathering feedback and conducting extensive field research to better understand shrimp feeding behaviour and the operational challenges faced in real-world pond environments. Now, that commitment to listening has inspired our next leap forward: AQ1’s next-generation smart feeding ecosystem begins with the Smart Hydrophone—a breakthrough device for shrimp farmers, built to integrate with future AQ1 technologies for unmatched performance.

Designed with farmers in mind Traditional hydrophones have been limited by 90m cables, restricting placement and often requiring compromises in pond layout. The Smart Hydrophone changes that. With a wireless connectivity range of up to 250m, farmers can now position hydrophones exactly where they are most effective, whether in large extensive ponds (up to 10ha)or complex intensive systems (Figure 1). This flexibility not only improves feeding accuracy but also reduces infrastructure complexity, minimises interference, and lowers maintenance requirements by removing long datacables from the equation.

The Smart Hydrophone features a novel built-in self-diagnostic system. This proactive monitoring helps farmers detect issues early, reducing downtime and ensuring consistent feeding performance.

Our decision to move away from cabled hydrophones is grounded in years of field data and direct customer feedback. Research has shown that the effective listening range of a hydrophone varies significantly depending on pond conditions. To optimise detection of shrimp feeding activity, we recommend limiting each hydrophone to a maximum of three feeders per zone, a configuration that improves acoustic signal clarity and feeding response accuracy.

Optimising feeding with multiple zones

Feeding efficiency is a cornerstone of successful shrimp farming, and AQ1’s research has shown that multiple feeding zones with fewer feeders per zone offer a more effective and responsive approach to feed delivery. This configuration allows the sonic algorithm to accurately detect and respond to shrimp feeding behaviour, resulting in better feed utilisation and more uniform growth.

Shrimp feeding sounds can be masked by background noise or diluted across large areas. By limiting the number of feeders per hydrophone to a maximum of three, farmer scan ensure that the hydrophone receives a clear and concentrated acoustic signal. This improves the accuracy of the system’s response and helps avoid overfeeding or underfeeding in any zone.

The Smart Hydrophone’s wireless design also brings major benefits to intensive pond systems, where space is limited and infrastructure is dense. In these environments, the presence of numerous electrical cables can cause interference, which may affect the sensitivity and accuracy of sonic feeding detection. By eliminating the need for long data cables, the SM1 reduces this interference risk and simplifies installation.

How does shrimp benefit from multiple feeding zones?

At AQ1, we have spent years observing shrimp feeding behaviour across ponds and discovered a key insight: feeding activity is not uniform. Shrimp tend to feed more intensely at specific times of day and show a clear preference for certain areas within the pond.

To help farmers respond to this variability, we have expanded our feeding zone capability from two zones(wired connection to SF200, limited to 90m) to four zones (wireless connection to SF200, up to 250m).This upgrade reflects our behavioural insights and offers a seamless pathway for existing AQ1 controllers to scale; enabling more precise, responsive feeding aligned with shrimp behaviour.

Shrimp thrive when food is accessible, delivered where and when it is needed, and aligned with their natural rhythms. Implementing multiple feeding zones, especially when paired with AQ1’s sonic feeding technology, offers a range of biological and operational benefits:

•Reduced competition and stress: Distributing feed across zones reduces crowding and aggressive behavior, improving shrimp welfare.

•More uniform growth: Equal access to feed minimises size variation, leading to better harvest consistency and pricing.

•Optimum feed conversion ratios (FCR): Feed is delivered only when shrimp are actively feeding, reducing waste and improving efficiency.

•Enhanced water quality: Even feed distribution and real-time control help prevent overfeeding and maintain better pond conditions.

•Adaptability to pond conditions: Multiple zones allow feeding strategies to be tailored to pond shape, depth, and water flow. 

“At AQ1, we have spent years observing shrimp feeding behaviour across ponds and discovered a key insight: feeding activity is not uniform.”

How does the smart hydrophone help farmers expand and manage feeding zones? The Smart Hydrophone is designed to make multi-zone feeding practical and scalable (Figure 3). Here is how item powers farmers:

•Wireless flexibility: Hydrophones can be placed exactly where needed, up to 250m from the controller, without cable constraints.

•Zone expansion: Each SF200 controller can now manage four Smart Hydrophones, doubling the number of feeding zones from two to four.

•Improved accuracy: With fewer feeders per hydrophone and better placement, the system can more precisely detect feeding activity.

•Simplified infrastructure: Especially in intensive systems, removing cables reduces installation complexity and interference.

•Ready for the future: The Smart Hydrophone is designed to integrate with upcoming AQ1 innovations for even greater performance

The Smart Hydrophone is more than just a new product; it is strategic leap forward in precision aquaculture. By enabling flexible, cable-free deployment and supporting more feeding zones per controller, it helps farmers improve efficiency, shrimp health, and operational scalability.

Therefore, whether managing a 10ha extensive pond ora high-density intensive system, the Smart Hydrophone offers the tools to optimise feeding. Backed by AQ1’sdeep commitment to research and innovation, the Smart Hydrophone is setting a new standard for smart, sustainable shrimp farming.

This article was first published in Aqua Culture Asia Pacific January/February  page 18-20 

The post Unlocking the power of smart feeding of vannamei shrimp appeared first on Aqua Culture Asia Pacific.

At YHL Desaru, entrepreneurship focuses on using biotechnology and innovations to build a sustainable shrimp farming business.

Among the more established and traditional shrimp farms in Malaysia, seven-year-old YHL Aquatic Sdn Bhd in Desaru, Johor stands above the rest. Covering a land area of 269.3 acres (107.7ha), YHL is now one of the largest shrimp farms in Johor state. Since 2023,it started hatchery operations in Mersing, producing post larvae using broodstock from the NBC (nucleus breeding centre), at YHLF Biotech (Thailand) in Phang-Nga, a subsidiary. YHL also operates Malaysia’s first BMC (broodstock multiplication centre) to reduce reliance on imports and to strengthen Malaysia’s shrimp aquaculture industry.

In 2025, the company received the “Asia Aquaculture Excellence Award – Excellence in Marine Shrimp Seedlings”, presented by the Malaysia Aquaculture Development Association (MADA), during its 25thAnniversary Celebration Dinner.

This prestigious award recognises YHL’s outstanding achievements in shrimp post larvae production and further validates the company’s commitment to IMTA (Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture) practices for sustainable shrimp farming.

An earlier achievement is the JCI (Junior Chamber International) Malaysia Sustainable Development Award SDG 14: Life Below Water” in 2023 which reaffirmed the company’s leadership and innovation in sustainable aquaculture development.

From oysters to vannamei shrimp

YHL’s Founder and Managing Director, Low Yuan Heng entered shrimp farming by chance. Low, a graduate in food science from Universiti Putra Malaysia, already had an established food additive business when he was encouraged to start oyster farming back in 2010.

“We have Crassostrea iredalei and C. belcheri. I saw an aquaculture opportunity as there is no specific breeding season and spats are available all year round in our coastal waters,” said Low.

“However, in order for the oysters to reach market readiness, an eight-month culture period was required, with anticipated cash flow projected only after three years. Therefore, I considered integrating another aquaculture species and explored shrimp farming as a complementary venture alongside the oyster.”

The Malaysian Bioeconomy Development Corporation(Bioeconomy Corporation), operating under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), has granted BioNexus status and recognition as a Bio-based Accelerator (BBA) company to YHL’s Tropical Oyster subsidiary and YHL Aquatics, respectively. It has continuously supported YHL in their transition and growth. 

“As we grow larger, we believe that it is important to have stability in production, rather than seek to increase volumes with higher stocking density,” says Low Yuan Heng

Ponds are aerated. Lastly, we have oysters, bivalves and aquatic plants to filter out organic particles. Water is used for the culture of copepods, which are the live feed for the fish hatchery.”

This is the IMTA project. “This idea of this IMTA is to solve aquaculture’s pollution issue, reduce nutrient pollution, eutrophication and recycling waste into usable biomass. This is a first in Malaysia. We use nine acres (3.64ha) dedicated to IMTA which is still not fully complete,” said Low

Construction of shrimp ponds began in 2017, along side the existing oyster hatchery facility. The seawater intake is6m deep and 800m out at sea, which YHL acquired when it bought over the land previously set up for a fish hatchery.

In the first phase of 10 acres (4ha), pond sizes were 0.1ha;in the second and third phases, pond sizes increased to0.25ha, and in phase 4, currently ongoing, ponds are0.4ha with 1.5-1.8m depths. Today, YHL’s farm in Desaruhas a total of 67 grow-out ponds with central outlets. Itwas necessary to line ponds and dykes with 1mm highdensity polyethylene (HDPE) as the area has sandy soil.

Each phase uses its own filtration system and reservoir.In phase one, stocking density is 200 PL/m2butdecreases to 150 PL/m2for ponds in the latter phases.Low clarified, “As we grow, we believe that it is importantto have stability in production, rather than seek toincrease volumes with higher stocking density.”

“We farm vannamei shrimp, producing 945 tonnes in2024 with a target of 1,500 tonnes for 2025. Each cycleincludes five partial harvests to ensure a daily supply of4-5 tonnes for Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru and Singapore.Buyers appreciate the reliable daily shipments. In October,farmgate prices were MYR19.50/kg (USD 4.71) for size70/kg and MYR29.50/kg (USD 7.13) for size 30/kg. Thelowest price for size 70/kg in 2025 was MYR15/kg.

“Buyers seek shrimp of size 90-30/kg. Size 25/kg is thelargest size that they will take. I am proud of the colour ofour shrimp, rated 24 on the chart when cooked, reflectingour genetics. Our cost of production is around MYR19.50(USD4.71) and average selling price is MYR24.50(USD5.92).”

Low started his shrimp farming business on 10 acres(4ha) of land. Today, while sentimental towards his original oyster venture – selling oysters at MYR2 each in2012- he has steadily expanded shrimp farming in phases, making structural and operational improvements, after visiting several farms in Vietnam, Thailand and China.

The main driver: Sustainable aquaculture

Prior to starting his venture, Low researched sustainable farming policies, referring to the work by Dr Sarah J.Foster, a marine conservation scientist who provided science-based guidelines for sustainable farming.

“Fortunately, this area was previously used for silicas and production, which means I do not need to address concerns on mangrove destruction for shrimp farming. ”The Johor state government has designated the area covering 9,000 acres (3,642ha) as “Bio Desaru – The Organic Food Valley” as a major hub for organic farming, bio-agriculture, aquaculture, and eco-tourism.

Low applies his tagline, “Saving the oceans starts with me” when designing the infrastructure and developing operations for high density shrimp farming. All wastewater is channelled into sludge ponds and overflows into six sedimentation ponds continuously. “We stock milkfish and tilapia to clean up the water and add probiotics.

“As we grow larger, we believe that it is important to have stability in production, rather than seek to increase volumes with higher stocking density,” says Low Yuan Heng.

Ponds are aerated. Lastly, we have oysters, bivalves and aquatic plants to filter out organic particles. Water is used for the culture of copepods, which are the live feed for the fish hatchery.” This is the IMTA project.

“This idea of this IMTA is to solve aquaculture’s pollution issue, reduce nutrient pollution, eutrophication and recycling waste into usable biomass. This is a first in Malaysia. We use nine acres (3.64ha) dedicated to IMTA which is still not fully complete,” said Low.

Expansion and innovation
Construction of shrimp ponds began in 2017, alongside the existing oyster hatchery facility. The seawater intake is 6m deep and 800m out at sea, which YHL acquired when it bought over the land previously set up for a fish hatchery.

In the first phase of 10 acres (4ha), pond sizes were 0.1ha; in the second and third phases, pond sizes increased to 0.25ha, and in phase 4, currently ongoing, ponds are 0.4ha with 1.5-1.8m depths. Today, YHL’s farm in Desaru has a total of 67 grow-out ponds with central outlets. It was necessary to line ponds and dykes with 1mm high density polyethylene (HDPE) as the area has sandy soil.

Each phase uses its own filtration system and reservoir. In phase one, stocking density is 200 PL/m2 but decreases to 150 PL/m2 for ponds in the latter phases. Low clarified, “As we grow, we believe that it is important to have stability in production, rather than seek to increase volumes with higher stocking density.”

“We farm vannamei shrimp, producing 945 tonnes in 2024 with a target of 1,500 tonnes for 2025. Each cycle includes five partial harvests to ensure a daily supply of 4-5 tonnes for Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru and Singapore. Buyers appreciate the reliable daily shipments. In October, farmgate prices were MYR19.50/kg (USD 4.71) for size 70/kg and MYR29.50/kg (USD 7.13) for size 30/kg. The lowest price for size 70/kg in 2025 was MYR15/kg.

“Buyers seek shrimp of size 90-30/kg. Size 25/kg is the largest size that they will take. I am proud of the colour of our shrimp, rated 24 on the chart when cooked, reflecting our genetics. Our cost of production is around MYR19.50 (USD4.71) and average selling price is MYR24.50 (USD5.92).”

Innovating with a nursery phase
“In 2020, after completion of the second phase, we faced a serious Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) outbreak. We were lucky as we already included a nursery stage in our farming protocol. It was a 1:1 model, one nursery pond of 150m3 to a grow-out pond of 0.1ha. We stocked 1,000 PL/m2 in the nursery pond. At such a high density, I could already catch an EHP infection at 1g at the nursery stage. If I were to stock directly into grow-out ponds, the signs of an outbreak can only be seen after 40 days.”

Low added, “It was at this time that I looked around for alternative genetics. In Phang-Nga, researchers at Thailand’s National Centre Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC) were already using molecular genetics in shrimp to manipulate shrimp traits for aquaculture. Together we founded the subsidiary YHLF Biotech (Thailand) and established a NBC.”

The farming cycle starts with PL10 from his own hatchery in Mersing. The nursery cycle is over 21-28 days, and grow-out duration is 75-84 days. Low said that survival rates at harvest hover around 80%. “We are managing well because of our operational protocols. Our average daily growth is 0.4g-0.5g, which I attribute to the YHL-PHI TIK Litopenaeus vannamei post larvae from broodstock with rapid growth, robustness and disease tolerance to EHP developed at YHLF Biotech over 49 generations since 2018.”

Low explained, “Juveniles are transferred to grow-out ponds using pipes and tanks, with the entire process taking about four hours. We experience only about 1-2% loss during transfer. Our nursery ponds are distributed throughout the pond area. To minimise stress before transfers and later before harvesting, we include feed supplements such as extra minerals and astaxanthin.”

Among several other innovations that YHL has been testing out is the combination of pineapple extracts and Bacillus probiotics to mitigate white faeces syndrome (WFS). An idea from observations on shrimp farming in China is the in – house production of PSB (photosynthetic bacteria) and EM (effective microorganism) probiotics for improving soil/water quality and enhancing aquatic health by reducing toxins and pathogens. YHL has an innovative way to maintain aeration at 5ppm with air diffusers and paddlewheels.

The farm has 60 staff to operate ponds comprising of the usual hierarchy in pond management, where the farm manager oversees pond supervisors. “We recruit our technicians from Sabah and Sarawak, namely graduates from Polytechnic Sandakan in Sabah. We use auto feeders but, I noticed that feed conversion ratio (FCR) can range from 1.2 to 1.3 but can rise to 1.7-1.8 depending on the technician.”

This article was first published in Aqua Culture Asia Pacific January/February  page 16/17 

The post Integrated and sustainable farming in Malaysia appeared first on Aqua Culture Asia Pacific.

Sarika Farm in Chachoengsao province is regarded as a model farm, and its owner, Khun Chalee Jitprasong, has diligently developed it to be the first ASC-certified farm in Thailand.

When we speak to shrimp industry stakeholders in Thailand, Khun Chalee’s name often comes up among the country’s most recently successful farmers. One of his farms, Sarika Farm in Bang Pakong district, Chachoengsao province, is regarded as a model farm that Chalee has diligently innovated, post-COVID, to achieve the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification. In 2024, his farm produced 150 tonnes in an area of 27 rai (4.32ha).

However, before the COVID pandemic (2020-2021), his success rate was low. The turning point came when he began to adopt a different culture model: small one-rai ponds for easier management, a closed system with no water exchange, the use of pond water probiotics, and direct stocking with vannamei post larvae (PL9) from fast-growth genetics at a density of 187PL/m2. Probiotics were also added to feeds through top dressing. 

Successful farming model
Khun Chalee is humble in saying that if survival rate is a measure of success, then other farms, such as Khun Tawi’s farm in Surat Thani, produce 4,000 tonnes annually. There, the survival rate is stable at 90%, achieved by using pond probiotics and a low stocking density of 31PL/m2 in large 6-rai (0.96ha) ponds. The difference is that Khun Chalee’s model is intensive farming, harvesting smaller-sized shrimp of 80/kg. His productivity/ha is high and biomass control is managed via partial harvests.

The farm has 9 culture ponds, with stocking densities ranging from 200,000–300,000PL/rai (125-187PL/m2). Only the pond dykes are lined with HDPE, while the bottom is covered with gravel stones to prevent shrimp from stirring up sludge and to help control carbon and ammonia levels.

Recycled water
In the main reservoir pond, various freshwater fish, cichlids, clarias, tilapia, rohu and pangasius, act as biofilters. Water is disinfected using chlorine, and consequently, wastewater is recycled. Pond water depth is maintained at around 1.8m, with top-up water when necessary. No chemicals are used during the culture cycle. The spread of viral pathogens is rigorously controlled through strict biosecurity, while probiotics maintain pH balance and control algae bloom. Pond water salinity ranges from 8-12ppt.

This is a smart farm, using startup HydroNeo’s technology to obtain accurate water quality measurements using high-quality sensors. High-efficiency motors reduce energy costs by 30%. The farm employs biofloc technology and maintains a pH range of 7.5-8, carefully keeping a 0.2 difference between day and night. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) is 1.1, and the average daily growth (ADG) is 0.2g, measured until the shrimp reach 30g. Khun Chalee continues to seek and remains open to innovations. He recently conducted a trial using pure oxygenation technology to evaluate its potential to improve overall farm performance and to assess the economic feasibility of adopting this technology.

This is a smart farm, using startup HydroNeo’s technology to obtain accurate water quality measurements using high-quality sensors. High-efficiency motors reduce energy costs by 30%. The farm employs biofloc technology and maintains a pH range of 7.5-8, carefully keeping a 0.2 difference between day and night. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) is 1.1, and the average daily growth (ADG) is 0.2g, measured until the shrimp reach 30g. Khun Chalee continues to seek and remains open to innovations. He recently conducted a trial using pure oxygenation technology to evaluate its potential to improve overall farm performance and to assess the economic feasibility of adopting this technology.

How probiotics are helping to improve crop success
Due to an effective campaign in Thailand discouraging the use of antibiotics, shrimp farmers have increasingly turned to probiotics. Additionally, inconsistent crop cycles prior to the pandemic led many farmers to seek alternative approaches. Success rates—measured by the proportion of crops reaching profitable harvests in regions such as Chachoengsao—had generally remained low.

To address this, the Chachoengsao Shrimp Farmers Club began producing five probiotic strains in-house to help reduce organics, ammonia, nitrate, and harmful bacteria linked to early mortality syndrome (EMS) and white faeces syndrome. Most farmers use these probiotics primarily to control ammonia levels as a preventive measure.

Today, many farmers attribute their success to probiotic use. The club has invested in staff training for three months at the Department of Fisheries, focusing on product quality monitoring, reformulating products with new bacterial strains and quality control. Certification is granted by the Department of Fisheries. The probiotics produced at the Club’s centres are exclusively for members. “

If we do not come together, we will not survive in this industry,”

said Chalee.

Although primarily formulated for pond application, these probiotics can also be used as a top dressing for feed. However, due to their lack of heat tolerance, these products are not recommended for incorporation during feed milling. The probiotics are available in both liquid and powder forms.

Data from the centre indicate that nearly 90% of farms in Chachoengsao currently utilise probiotics. Farmers typically submit water samples, after which centre technicians provide guidance on selecting appropriate probiotic products. The probiotics market remains highly competitive, with numerous suppliers. However, the centre benefits from member-driven product testing.

All testing and registration activities are facilitated by Mahidol University, while BIOTEC, Thailand’s National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, leads probiotic development work. BIOTEC collaborates with universities and companies to isolate and characterise Thai-native probiotic strains, such as Lactobacillus paracasei and Bifidobacterium animalis.

In Chachoengsao, shrimp ponds typically measure approximately one rai, with stocking densities ranging from 50 to 100PL/m2. The province plays a major role in Thailand’s overall shrimp production, which reached 300,000 tonnes in 2024. Chachoengsao is expected to produce about 108,000 tonnes, with daily sales to the local market averaging 300 tonnes. Harvested shrimp tend to be small-size at 80/kg. In March, farmgate prices were around THB 140/kg (USD4.3) for size 80/kg and THB 220/kg for size 50/kg (USD6.8) aligning favourably with prevailing production costs.

During discussions at the centre, Khun Chalee and Khun Somprasong reported a 7% increase in production following the implementation of shrimp health monitoring via PCR testing and regular water quality assessments. The Department of Fisheries (DOF) supports these water quality analyses. Previously, the success rate stood at approximately 3-5 out of every 10 ponds. With the introduction of probiotics, this figure has risen to 8 out of 10 ponds.

The post Chalee’s Way appeared first on Aqua Culture Asia Pacific.

More  protein on the plate? As new  U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend nearly double previous intake, shrimp stands out as a healthy choice.

Every five years, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services release updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans, setting the tone for national nutrition advice.

The latest edition, published this week, brings back the Food Guide model and places a stronger emphasis on protein, dairy, and healthy fats—alongside fruits and vegetables—while encouraging Americans to cut back on ultra-processed foods and added sugars.

One of the most notable changes is a renewed focus on protein at every meal. Rather than the long-standing recommendation of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, the guidelines now point to a higher intake range of 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram—nearly double previous levels.
As consumers look for practical ways to meet these higher protein targets, the type of protein on the plate is equally important. Shrimp, the most popular seafood consumed in the U.S., offers a familiar, accessible, and responsible option that fits well within this shift.

According to the Shrimp Nutrition Guide—a toolkit for registered dietitians developed by the Sustainable Shrimp Partnership and the Seafood Nutrition Partnership— shrimp can help replace protein choices that are higher in saturated fat. A single serving provides about 18 grams of complete protein, delivering all nine essential amino acids. With only about half a gram of total fat per serving and virtually no carbohydrates or added sugars, shrimp is an easy fit for balanced, protein-forward meals.

Shrimp also delivers nutrients beyond protein, including omega-3 fatty acids, along with essential vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that support heart and brain health, immune function, and weight management.

Health authorities continue to encourage greater seafood consumption. Organizations such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, and the World Health Organization recommend eating at least two servings of non-fried seafood each week.

Beyond nutrition, sustainability is increasingly part of the conversation around protein choices. The EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy, sustainable, and equitable food systems has noted that seafood—when responsibly sourced—can be among the healthiest animal protein options with a relatively low environmental footprint. The Commission also emphasizes that fisheries and aquaculture can provide high-quality protein while remaining within environmental limits, when managed responsibly.

With protein taking a more central role in the American diet, shrimp stands out as a lean, versatile option—one that fits not only evolving nutrition guidance, but also broader conversations around sustainable food systems.

The post U.S dietary guidelines recommend nearly double previous intakes, shrimp stands out as a healthy choice appeared first on Aqua Culture Asia Pacific.

At TARS 2025, what is Asia’s position in the global context amid significant crop disruptions, increasing supply from Ecuador, and heightened attention on China?

The opening session, “State of Global Shrimp Supply and Demand,” at TARS 2025 (see pages 4-6), outlined the prevailing circumstances in Asian shrimp aquaculture. The industry faces oversupply, intense competition, and declining prices, all of which challenge supply chain collaboration. While Asia contends with production instability, Ecuador continues to dominate as the primary supplier.

Shrimp and stress: Is the Asian shrimp model broken?
Shrimp has become cheaper year after year, even as consumption is higher than ever. Robins McIntosh, Executive Vice President, CPF, Thailand, responded to the question: is the Asian shrimp culture model broken? His answer—no, but it is misunderstood. He offered a diagnosis of how Asia, aquaculture’s most dynamic region, risks sabotaging itself.

Prices down, production up
Reviewing the situation in the past three decades, Robins showed how inflation-adjusted wholesale prices for shrimp in New York have fallen relentlessly. Yet production has surged past 6 million tonnes annually. Neither low prices nor disease have deterred supply.

The model is not broken; there is just a huge variation.

“World production has gone up and continues to go up at lower prices. This means that producers farming in the right way are making money and others are struggling. Unfortunately, we hear more of the strugglers than successful ones, especially in Asia. What we do hear is the Ecuadorian story, that’s right,”

said Robins.

Both Asia and Latin America have contributed: India and China on one side of the Pacific, Ecuador on the other. Each region has grown at roughly 160,000 tonnes a year since 2018. “The paradox is concerning, depending on who you are. Shrimp is now cheapest when production is at its highest. For now, consumers are happy, but farmers less so.”

Defining the Asian shrimp model
Asia’s system is built on intensity. Two variants dominate. Intensive culture relies on aeration of 10–35HP/ha, balanced feeds, some biosecurity, and domesticated post larvae. Stocking densities run between 25-100 PL/m2 and cost of production (COP) ranges from USD3–3.50/kg. The super-intensive culture models need aerators of >35HP, lined ponds, shrimp toilets, chemicals and probiotics. When stocking is above 150 PL/m2, COP is more than USD4/kg. By 2024, nearly three-quarters of Asia’s shrimp came from these two systems. Intensive alone accounts for close to 60%, meaning it effectively sets the industry’s base price.

Robins observed that super-intensive farms, despite their technological allure, struggle to compete as higher costs erode margins in a sector where prices are falling.

Pushing boundaries
For many farmers, Robins noticed that the temptation is to chase yield by increasing stocking densities ever higher.

“Yet ponds and regions have carrying capacities. It is possible to increase carrying capacity with higher aeration but there is a limit. As feed rates increase, nitrogen and carbon dioxide accumulate, dissolved oxygen falls, and bacterial loads spike. At a certain point, stress tips shrimp into health crises.”

The view is that the cycle often begins in the hatchery. Vibrio bacteria, their plasmids and toxins, and Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) infect post-larvae long before they reach ponds. Once inside, the combination of high density and abundant feed allows Vibrio to thrive. Vibrio is rarely lethal on its own, but it opens the door for everything else.

“Technology should be used to reduce costs, not to chase production at any cost,”
– Robins McIntosh

Pathogens in synergy
Shrimp exposed to both Vibrio and nitrite stress fare far worse than with either alone. Add EHP to Vibrio, and mortalities spike. White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) has not mutated dramatically. Robins claims that Vibrio reduces shrimp’s tolerance to it, helping explain the resurgence of WSSV in India in recent years. In short: introduce Vibrio into any equation, and trouble follows.

Geographical factors
Geography makes a difference too. Ecuador is blessed with moderate temperatures, and they have built a model of steady, low-stress aquaculture. India, by contrast, grows shrimp in smaller ponds at similar stocking densities. India has been Asia’s standout success story, demonstrating that careful management can deliver volumes Southeast Asian farmers are less fortunate: high coastal temperatures favour Vibrio. Along the Gulf of Thailand, it is far harder to farm today than it was 20 years ago.

Adding to the strain is seawater quality. Coastal waters across Asia have deteriorated, making ponds ever more vulnerable. The environmental baseline which intensive aquaculture was built upon has shifted. 

Growth or resilience?
Genetics pose another challenge. Robins said,

” CPF’s “Turbo” strain can hit 50g in 100 days, compared with just 30g for its slower cousin “Kong”. Yet the speedy Turbo proves fragile: its survival rates fall dramatically when confronted with nitrite stress, white faeces syndrome (WFS) or viral challenges. Kong, on the other hand, is slower but sturdier and holds up better.”

Immune markers confirm the trade-off. He asked if growth must come at the expense of resilience?

Robins also showed that the tolerance for WSSV comes with mid growth levels.

“In the future, with genomics, we can delink growth from disease tolerance at individual levels. So, for now, farmers must balance growth against survival.”

When stress is controlled
The data that Robins presented suggest that restraint works. In 2010, typical Asian farms stocked 75–100 PL/m2, yielding 13 tonnes/ha with survival rates of 85%. By 2022, densities had risen to 300–450 PL/m2. Yields rose to 33 tonnes, but survival collapsed to 65% and failure rates soared above 25%.

In 2023, farms that cut densities back to 100–120 PL/m² found a sweet spot. Yields remained high at 31 tonnes/ha, survival rebounded to 85%, and failure rates dropped below 2%. Feed conversion ratios improved, and average daily growth accelerated. Even EHP-positive shrimp performed well when stress was kept low. Robins’ message was simple: high-stress farming is unsustainable; controlled stress is profitable.

Lessons for Asia
Robins’ conclusions were clear. The Asian shrimp model is not broken; it is mis-applied. Technology should be used to reduce costs, not to chase production at any cost. In practice, this means focusing on balanced feed, adequate aeration, domesticated broodstock, and biosecurity. Hatchery sanitation must be re-emphasised. 

Crucially, cost leadership will not come from super-intensive systems. The market’s base price is set by intensive farms, and lower-intensity producers will continue to define competitiveness. Super-intensive ventures, with heavy capitalisation, risk losing flexibility: the pressure to stock at extreme densities to justify investment compromises resilience.

Robins reiterated that Asia remains the volume leader, but it faces a choice. It needs to recalibrate towards lower-stress, more robust production, or risk sacrificing competitiveness. The global shrimp industry will not shrink. The real test is whether Asia can adapt its model to remain on top.

The take-home message was succinct: stress kills. Reduce culture stress, and “no stress, just happiness” follows for farmers, shrimp and consumers.

How the next generation in Krabi transformed their farm. In Thailand’s Krabi province, Yanisa and Khemika Klomsuwan have quietly created a model that other farmers can learn from. The Klomsuwan sisters delivered an insightful presentation at TARS 2025 on how their family owned Kieangseng Kitcharoen Farm, once struggling with disease, high waste output, and low yields, was transformed into a data driven, biosecurity, and globally aligned shrimp operation.

The sisters’ story is not merely about upgrading a farm; it was a critical mindset shift from being reliant on intuition towards
adopting an industrial system of standard operating procedures (SOPs), metrics, and discipline. This shift successfully
increased both output and credibility in global markets.

The old way: Trial and error
Before the overhaul, the farm’s performance reflected regional norms. Yanisa started with some performance data. “We had a 120 day cycle, which produced only 23 tonnes per rai (1rai = 1,600m²) and an average daily growth (ADG) of just 0.25g. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was high, and there was limited data on FCR, survival, or pond level variation.”

Diseases particularly EHP and WFS were recurring.

“We could not manage waste well and instead water was exchanged heavily to keep ponds productive, increasing costs and biosecurity risks. Like many Thai farms, there was little awareness of global trends that are beginning to define market access,”

added Khemika.

A strategic pivot
The sisters created a new framework focused on fourgoals: risk reduction, cost saving, shorter days of culture (DOC), and higher efficiency.

“Our targets were ambitious: to reach 5–8 tonnes/rai, reduce cycles to90–110 days, and achieve an 80% success rate per cycle. We also implemented a vision to align with global sustainability standards,”

said Khemika.

Before the cycle: A biosecurity fortress
The foundation of their culture system is built on strict biosecurity, sediment control, water quality management, and ongoing laboratory testing for bacteria and post larvae (PL) health. 

“The target set is 80% success rate per cycle,”  said Khemika (right). “The transformation has delivered remarkable results; the duration was reduced from 120 days to 90–110 days, and ADG improved from 0.25g to 0.4g,” said Yanisa (left).”

Farm access is closely monitored. Net fences exclude carrier animals, and bird nets block airborne vectors such as white spot syndrome virus (WSSV).

“We only allow the farm manager to lift feeding trays for each pond, each week,”

noted Khemika.

Sediment management remains a priority. Turbidity (NTU) must be below 2.5 before stocking, as it indicates water clarity and sludge levels.

It all begins with good post larvae
PLs undergo forensic examination. Khemika states, “Specifically, we prefer that PL must show no broken rostrums, clean appendages, etc. Hepatopancreas checks confirm lipid integrity and the absence of melanisation (a disease marker). Laboratory plate counts confirm bacterial loads are below thresholds (<1,000CFU/mL for Vibrio strains). The visual PL
inspection also confirms there are no dead, bluecoloured, or milky muscle shrimp.

During the culture: Discipline in motion
Once stocked, the farm shifts focus to measurement and adjustment. Yanisa listed detailed metrics.

“Water parameters in terms of calcium, magnesium, and potassium are related to salinity and are kept within strict ranges. Particularly, alkalinity is kept at 160-200 until size 20g and at 140-160 when shrimp are larger.”

Dissolved oxygen must stay above 5.5mg/L. Transparency is maintained at 40cm throughout the culture period. The goal is to minimise sludge and keep water quality stable.

Bacterial load is constantly monitored in both pond water and shrimp hepatopancreas, with Vibrio counts maintained within strict limits (<100–1,000CFU/mL). Separate “treatment ponds” are tested to ensure that reserve water is free of pathogens.

“With regards to probiotics, we only use certified strains screened for banned substances,”

said Yanisa.

“Growth is tracked weekly starting from DOC 45 when PL is 10.5g. Sampling every Tuesday verifies feeding schedules. The target ADG is 0.45g/day. If PL is less than 10.5g, we investigate.”

Numbers after the shift
Yanisa elaborated,

“The transformation has produced impressive results. Our cycle duration decreased from 120 days to 90–110 days. We tripled the yield, from 2–3 tonnes to 5–8 tonnes per rai, with an average shrimp weight of 30–55g. ADG increased from 0.25g to 0.41g. Recently, to lower costs due to low prices, we used PL12, and our ADG was 0.40g.”

The farm’s data show consistent improvements year-on-year from 2021 to 2025, culminating in Q1 2025 with steady outputs of close to 6-8 tonnes per rai in less than 100 days.

An anatomy of success
The sisters attribute their achievements to five elements:

• Pathogen-free post-larvae from certified hatcheries.
• High-quality feed with balanced nutrition.
• A data-driven approach with continuous data collection and adjustments.
• Maintaining KPI discipline to keep standards high.
• Collaborative teamwork, where staff share responsibility for outcomes.

The key takeaway is that the Klomsuwans’ achievements are not just higher output but also how process-driven aquaculture can be profitable while staying sustainable.

“We set the KPIs and bonus for farm managers, and together, we see that everyone is working toward the same goals and vision,”

concluded Khemika.

How Ecuador became the global shrimp powerhouse
How did Ecuador, better known for oil and bananas and with only 220,000ha of shrimp area become the world’s most efficient farmed shrimp producer? For more than a decade the country has defied forecasts of stagnation and instead has grown shrimp output at an astonishing 16% annually for the last 8 years.

In 2025, production is expected to reach 1.76 million tonnes, up 17% in a single year. For a country of just 18 million people and 260,000km2, this is nothing short of a miracle.

“Every year I think we’ll grow less, but every year the numbers surprise me,”

said Pablo Montalbetti Gómez de la Torre, Corporate Executive Manager for Market Strategy & Market Intelligence at Vitapro-Alicorp S.A.A, as he presented at TARS 2025 on the three forces that contributed to Ecuador’s ascent: natural advantages, industrial organisation, and relentless innovation.

Ecuador’s exports have been transforming its nature its target by increasing value added (processing plant capacity) and by diversifying its (reducing dependency on China). Source: Estadistic & Gluna Shrimp.

“Every year I think we’ll grow less, but every year the numbers surprise me,”
– Pablo Montalbetti Gómez de la Torre

Natural geography and efficiency
The country’s geography is a natural advantage. Around 80% of production comes from Guayas province, a compact coastal region where ponds are a short distance from ports. The proximity translates into faster harvesting, tighter quality control, and lower transport costs. A stable tropical climate allows for year-round production.

Farm efficiency rivals that for the salmon in Chile. Pablo added,

“Feed conversion ratios (FCRs) have improved from 1.6 in 2019 to 1.3 today. For me, matching salmon farms which have a FCR of 1.23, is amazing. “While pond sizes remain unchanged, stocking density is now 16-18 PL/m2 up from 8-9 PL/m2. Weekly growth rates have surged from 1.5g/week in 2019 to 2.75g in 2024 and now to more than 4g in 2025, while pond density has nearly doubled without reducing survival. Some producers now report 7,000 pounds (3.1 tonnes) per harvest cycle. With a 2-phase system, 60 days/cycle and 4-5 cycles/year, we have an extremely efficient production model,”

said Pablo.

More processing and integration
Two transformations are reshaping Ecuador’s shrimp trade. First, exports are moving up the value chain: processed shrimp has jumped from 28% of exports in 2019 to 55% today. Second, the country is reducing its dependence on China, which once absorbed two-thirds of shipments (67%) to 52%. Exports are increasingly diversified towards the EU and US, markets that demand traceability and higher processing standards.

Integration between farms and processing plants is accelerating. Exporters are investing in farms to guarantee at least 50 60% of supply, while farmers are buying into processing plants to avoid price volatility. This blurring of boundaries stabilises margins and supports the shift into higher-value segments.

Pablo said,

“If you ask any shrimp farmer on why they need to integrate, they’ll tell you it is to keep consistent
production, to keep the train going,”

Scale breeds professionalism
Unlike much of Asia’s fragmented industry, Ecuador is dominated by large, professional companies. The top five together contribute more than a third of production. Their scale enables investment in hatcheries, feed mills, auto feeders, electrification and genetics, spreading best practices across the value chain. “Today, almost 20,000ha of farms are electrified, and auto feeders, almost unheard of a decade ago, now cover a quarter of the farmed area.

“The pandemic accelerated efficiency gains. Producers learned to cut costs, digitise operations, and adopt new technologies under pressure. The result is a sector that is leaner, faster, and more resilient than before,”

explained Pablo.

Weaknesses and threats
Ecuador’s political fragility remains its Achilles heel. A dollarised economy, high labour costs, and frequent electricity outages (in 2023 farms endured just eight hours of power per day for months) expose vulnerabilities. Security concerns and trade disputes also loom. Climate shocks, particularly in May and June, can stress animals and disrupt cycles.

Keeping the train going
If current trends hold, Pablo estimates that Ecuador’s growth may moderate to a still impressive 6–8% in 2026, supported by wider electrification, better genetics, and expanded automation. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is expected to be at 6% fuelled by technification, electrification and standardisation. The world’s smallest shrimp giant looks set to stay on top.

China’s shrimp market: From white boxes to brands The message on China’s seafood trade by George Ding Changwei, General Manager at Hong Kong Fisheries Holding was simple. “China is now depending less on volume and more on quality, branding, and trust. 

“For those seeking to develop in China, the opportunity lies not in chasing higher volumes, but in catering to a shifting consumer base.”
– George Ding Changwei

Over the past three years, China’s shrimp imports have been dominated almost entirely by the vannamei shrimp. Volumes have risen, from some 800,000 tonnes to nearly 900,000 tonnes, but values have fallen. Fierce competition among exporters has depressed prices, leaving many farmers and suppliers squeezed.

More recent figures tell a more nuanced story. In the first half of 2025, China imported 420,000 tonnes of vannamei shrimp, worth about USD2.3-2.4 billion—a sign, Ding notes, of a stabilising market. “For those seeking to develop in China, the opportunity lies not in chasing higher volumes, but in catering to a shifting consumer base.”

Three new types of shrimp consumers
First are the post-1980s and 1990s generation, who have come of age with greater purchasing power and different priorities. Unlike their parents, who cared little beyond having shrimp on the table, younger consumers care about nutrition, food safety and sustainability. They are wary of chemicals, antibiotics and adulteration – issues often exposed on social media platforms such as Douyin (TikTok).

Second is geography. Previously, shrimp consumption was concentrated in wealthy coastal cities like Shanghai or Guangzhou. Today, inland metropolises such as Wuhan, Chongqing and Xi’an are driving growth. A new middle class is developing a taste for shrimp, broadening the consumer market.

Third is the emergence of a new high end consumer tier. Whereas the average consumer once treated shrimp as a homogeneous commodity, now a premium tier has emerged: buyers who will pay for scampi from New Zealand, cold-water prawns from Alaska, or wellbranded vannamei. For them, price is secondary to source and perceived quality.

Ecuador’s lead, India’s push, Thailand’s niche On the supply side, Ecuador remains China’s top shrimp supplier, particularly in head-on, shell-on form. India follows, with Thailand carving out a reputation in small, retail-packaged shrimp sold in high-end supermarkets. Prices reflect these dynamics: Ecuador’s shrimp have fallen fastest in value, while Thailand’s retail-oriented product has been more stable.

China’s domestic shrimp sector, meanwhile, faces headwinds. Labour and feed costs have climbed. Imports exert downward pressure. Seasonality matters: demand peaks before Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year, but slumps in the hot summer months when seafood spoils easily. Traditional pond-based production lags in quality compared with newer greenhouse systems, which can supply live shrimp more consistently.

From white boxes to trusted brand
The implication for foreign exporters is clear. Competing in China’s shrimp market requires more than shipping containers of “white box” commodity shrimp—the generic, unlabelled product that flooded the country in the past. Consumers, particularly younger ones, want traceability, antibiotic-free guarantees, and a brand they can trust.

Logistics, once a barrier, now make this feasible. Same-day delivery networks in cities such as Shanghai or Beijing allow live and prepared seafood to reach consumers at unprecedented speed. Prepared shrimp dishes, ready-to-cook packs, and branded retail offerings are also booming.

“Today our logistics system is changing very fast, now you can order something in the morning, and have it delivered in the afternoon”

Ding’s advice is to rebuild supply chains, invest in branding, and focus on quality over quantity. With cities like Chongqing (population 31 million) matching entire countries such as Malaysia, the scale is undeniable.

“The market is there,” he says. “But the market you should develop is your brand.”

During the followup panel session, panellists and speakers exchanged views with the audience on the future of shrimp farming, land use, feed trends, tariffs, bacterial management, and the shifting demands of global markets.

Industry player Santhana had this take home message,

“We cannot change our location nor water quality of shared resources, but work at reducing stress to shrimp as much as possible. Improvements in crop cycles will come with a nursery phase and multiphase farming. On marketing, the move from HOSO to peeled shrimp will definitely be of value for Asian producers.”

“On marketing, the move from HOSO to peeled shrimp will definitely be of value for Asian producers”
– S Santhana Krishnan

Feed trends
A decade ago, farmers had little choice beyond generic feed. Today, the feed industry offers stage-specific diets and more tailored formulations. Yanisa reported that crude protein levels in Thai feeds range from 35– 42%. Robins added that Ecuador typically runs closer to 35%, with Thailand averaging 38%. He warned, however, that farmers’ tendency to increase protein can backfire, raising mortality and pond nitrogen levels without improving growth. “Decoupling protein from growth is the real frontier,” Robins argued.

Integration and farm structures
The panel diverged on integration models. Robins observed that in the Americas, large growers have absorbed smaller farms, leading to consolidation, while Asia remains highly fragmented, with farm sizes far smaller by comparison. Santhana added that in India, harvest timing is still determined more by disease outbreaks than market planning, making large-scale integration unlikely.

Market outlook and food safety concerns
Ding acknowledged that Chinese farmers face price pressure from imports but said government protection or intervention is unlikely given the fragmented nature of the industry. Pablo noted Ecuador’s strategy is to diversify away from China by developing differentiatedproducts and export markets. On consumer concerns,  ranging from antibiotic resistance to carbon footprints, Santhana argued that adoption of certification standards is growing, though still uneven among smallholders.

Margins and regional variation
Finally, when asked about farmer profitability in Ecuador, Pablo stressed that margins vary widely by season and geography, emphasising the volatility of the sector.

The post Current dynamics of global shrimp supply and demand appeared first on Aqua Culture Asia Pacific.

With critical thinking, science and a 3-phase model, Nguyễn Thanh Thế achieves success.

Can Gio is situated around 40km away from Ho Chi Minh City, where shrimp farming is a leading economic activity. With diseases running rampant in the area, such as Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) and early mortality syndrome (EMS) or acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND), several farmers have decided to call it a day. Meanwhile, successful ones continue farming and become buyers of farms that have ceased operations.

One such farmer is Nguyễn Thanh Thế, who has been farming vannamei shrimp over the last 15 years. During a visit in March with the team from Forte Biotech, he was celebrating a recent purchase of a neighbour’s farm. With this latest addition, he now has ten production ponds, four in the current farm and six in the new farm.

Thế, who studied information technology and was encouraged by his brother and sister-in-law to start a farm together, said that many of the successful farmers did not really learn aquaculture. “After almost 20 years in shrimp farming, all that is needed is critical thinking, logic, and passion. For each problem, science and logic are always there.”

Critical thinking and adherence to SOPs

“Each farm will have different problems and issues; success comes with finding the logic since the science is there already. There is not much that we can do with EHP. We need to continue farming, and so we must try to reduce costs.” While acquiring farms, his approach is to keep them manageable. EHP is everywhere. “But we have to continue to farm anyway.”

said Thế,

He manages EHP with his well-thought-out water treatment system. His farm has three reservoir ponds covering 3,000m2. Incoming water slowly moves around baffles, settling organic matter. In the final treatment pond, chlorine gas is added. In less than 2 days, the water can be used for the grow-out ponds. Cautious of the optimal water quality, Thế tests water parameters before beginning to channel water for the grow-out stage.

“This amount of technology is sufficient for us. Whatever technology a farmer needs, it should be around water treatment and quality. Regarding autofeeders, we need to reset them after the rains. We kill EHP spores by using lime to bring up the water pH to 9. My message is to learn to optimise first, or else technology will fail you,”

emphasised Thế.

At the farm, his staff are very disciplined and professional in following the standard operating procedures (SOPs). They have at their disposal assistance from their feed suppliers, as well as analysis of water parameters and disease pathogens. When Forte Biotech approached Thế with its on-site PCR tests, Thế became an advisor to the young startup team on requirements for farms in Vietnam.

“For each problem, I find that science and logic are always there,” says Farmer Nguyễn Thanh Thế

Absence of shared biosecurity
However, Thế also faces several challenges in his farming operations. In Can Gio, the high density of shrimp ponds
has led to water pollution, with EHP levels rising as infected farms discharge untreated water into the environment.
Another issue is biosecurity, where many farmers, including those nearby, still show negligence and weak implementation of preventive measures. In addition, the cost of water treatment has increased sharply compared to the time before EHP became widespread, and the expenses for preventive medicines have also added to the financial burden.

Managing EHP and Vibrios
Thế believes that algae acts as a carrier of EHP spores. Therefore, his first step is to thoroughly disinfect incoming
water using chlorine gas. Then, an artificial colourant, Marine Blue (Unity, Thailand), is added to the pond water
during the first 60 days to prevent algae blooms. Adding colourant to shrimp ponds is an age-old practice in Asian
farms, primarily aimed at improving water quality and controlling unwanted plant growth. This method helps
manage algae by reducing sunlight penetration with blue dyes, which limits photosynthesis and suppresses the growth of filamentous and blue-green algae that can disrupt pond ecosystems.

Furthermore, by shading the pond, the dye can help stabilise water temperature, which is beneficial for shrimp health. Thế says that this step helps to suppress the Vibrio population. His aim is to prevent shrimp from eating algae and developing Vibrio-linked diseases.

Thế is not afraid of Vibrio pathogens, as there are checks every 5 days for Vibrios. The farm monitors the CFU/mL levels of Vibrio. “I am more afraid of EHP.”

Another strategy is to exchange only 30-40% of the pond water. He gained most of his knowledge on shrimp farming with CPF Thailand. Today, he is working together with CP Vietnam. Recently, Thế innovated the shrimp toilet at the farm, which he installed 6 years ago.

A 3-phase model
From these four ponds, Thế harvests 20 tonnes. This is the result of a three-phase farming system: nursery, pregrow-
out, and grow-out. Thế has learnt from CP Vietnam on setting up a semi-closed nursery pond. Here, post larvae from Ninh Thuan and Vung Tau are stocked at 1500- 1800PL/m2 and are reared over 20 days. Subsequently, shrimp from one nursery pond are transferred to an outdoor pond for the first pre-grow-out stage. The stock is transferred to two ponds and subsequently to four grow-out ponds. The stocking density in the final grow out stage is 100PL/m2.

The final output is size 25/kg shrimp after 111 days of culture. The cost of production is VND110,000/kg (USD4.16), at a survival rate of 90%.

Marketing live shrimp At this farm, harvesting depends on the broker. Approximately 10 tonnes are harvested over four days. Each day, the broker delivers live shrimp to markets in Hanoi, where prices are much higher than in the local market, which hovers around VND230,000-240,000/kg (USD8.2-9.1). 

The post Passion and logic lead to success and expansion in Can Gio, Vietnam appeared first on Aqua Culture Asia Pacific.

A conversation with Ravi Kumar Yellanki on integrating hatcheries into the larger industry in India

Ravi Kumar Yellanki, Managing Director of Vaisakhi Bio-Resources Pvt Ltd, is well-known for innovating the landscape in post larvae production in India. Today, the company has grown into an integrated operation spanning hatchery, farming and processing. At TARS2025, held on August 20-21 in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Ravi Kumar was one of the business leaders at the Hard Talk session. The day after, we talked about his personal journey in India’s shrimp hatchery business. As President of the All India Shrimp Hatcheries Association (AISHA), we asked him about shaping the future of the segment as well as the whole industry. AISHA will organise the second edition of HATCH India on October 30-31 in Visakhapatnam.

The beginning

You started with an engineering and management background. What made you venture into a shrimp hatchery business?

In 1994, I graduated as an engineer. Back then, shrimp aquaculture in India was just taking off. I initially worked for consultancy firms, Aqua Veritas and GEO Marine Systems, advising on hatchery projects. Around100 to 150 hatcheries were coming up at the time.

In 2001, we started our own consultancy firm. At that time, most of the infrastructure had been completed, and the industry was facing a downturn due to outbreaks of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV).We decided to focus on management contracts with hatcheries. Hatcheries typically employed marine biologists and technicians, contributing to overhead costs. The indoor nursery at the farm in Tuni, Andhra Pradesh.

Our model was simple: hatchery owners did not need to worry about hiring or managing technical staff. We provided technicians and charged only based on the number of post larvae (PL) produced and sold. We charged USD6-7/1,000PLs. This model proved effective, and we managed about five hatcheries under this system. During this time, we learned more on how the hatchery business worked.

How did you transition to owning your own hatchery?

Observing the success of the hatcheries we managed, we considered starting our own but lacked the funds to build a new one. Instead, we leased a small unit and pushed it to its limits, surpassing the annual 40 million PLs produced by bigger hatcheries through more production cycles.

However, we also learned that we need to access multiple markets. PL has no shelf life, and the window to sell is small: 4 days at most. I cannot sell PL8 or PL13,and relying on one region can be risky. We diversified geographically by selling to several regions in India, even with smaller volumes, to ensure stability.

By 1999, we decided to build our own hatchery. Our values were lean and functional, without unnecessary infrastructure. In Visakhapatnam (or Vizag), we constructed our own greenfield hatchery.

Investing to deliver disease-free PL

What expertise did you need to deliver disease-free PL?

Those were the days of farming the black tiger shrimp. Farmers started testing shrimp PL for diseases such as monodon baculovirus (MBV) and WSSV. Most wild broodstocks were infected, and vertical disease transmission was a major concern. We made a move to screen these broodstock and provide disease-free PL.

In India, eyestalk ablation was ineffective for maturation, so most hatcheries used gravid broodstocks. Since we did not want to use gravid broodstocks directly, we brought in Taiwanese experts to focus on maturation. We invested in two PCR machines to conduct disease checks before and after spawning, and we sourced test kits. By controlling everything from quarantine to individual spawning, we ensured high PL quality.

By 2001, our PL was in demand, and our hatchery gained a reputation for consistently producing disease-free PL. That was how we built trust. We learnt from Thailand and elsewhere and developed our own robust system for spawning and screening.

Scaling strategy with vannamei PLs

What was your production capacity and how did you scale further?

Initially, we had one hatchery in Vizag producing about 100 million PL/year. This was a big number back then. In 2004, when I was doing my MBA, I gained a better sense of business and began looking at expansion. We wanted to leverage our strong reputation, but transporting from Vizag to other regions, such as Tamil Nadu or Gujarat, was not viable due to logistics and costs.

So, in 2004, we expanded to Chennai and set up another hatchery. With better connectivity, production was 200 million PL annually. During a visit to Thailand, a small hatchery operator said he produced 500 million PL per year.

“It opened our eyes to the next level of scaling and operational efficiency.”

That visit changed my approach and opened our eyes to the next level of scaling and operational efficiency. We realised the need to think beyond conventional limitations and innovate in business strategy too.

Vannamei shrimp in India

What made it such a game-changer compared to the black tiger shrimp?

By 2009, vannamei changed everything. The PL cycle for vannamei is shorter — only about 20 days compared to the 30 for black tiger shrimp. Farmers could go for higher stocking densities and faster turnarounds. When demand is high and the hatchery performs well, that speed makes
a huge difference in volume and profitability. The Indian government approved vannamei shrimp
farming in 2009. Vaisakhi was among the 12 hatcheries permitted to import the broodstocks. We brought in a Thai technician for maturation, while we continued with Taiwanese expertise for black tiger shrimp. The Vizag hatchery concentrated on black tiger, while the Chennai hatchery focused on vannamei. We were the first hatchery in India to sell vannamei PL on 9th September 2009.

That was a milestone, but was the market ready to switch to vannamei shrimp back then?

Not entirely. From 2009 to 2010, progress was slow. Farmers were hesitant, and we faced some resistance. Then everything changed in 2011 when early mortality syndrome (EMS) hit Vietnam and Thailand. The global shrimp supply fell, prices shot up, and India, being unaffected, suddenly found itself in a sweet spot. The demand for vannamei exploded, farmers made huge profits, and that triggered a massive expansion.

The boom times of 2011How did you take advantage of this new wave?

It was insane in 2011-2012. Ponds were being dug across the country, and hatcheries were coming up fast. We did not want to miss the opportunity. We had to scale up quickly. Building new hatcheries would take a year or more, so we pursued acquisitions. Within 12 to18 months, we acquired three large companies. One of them had one of India’s largest shrimp farms, which we still operate today. This takeover was strategic, since itis nearly impossible to build a 250-acre (101ha) coastal farm from scratch in India. The other two acquisitions were hatcheries.

We also entered into joint ventures, leased or acquired facilities to quickly increase capacity. Around that time, the price of PL in 2011 and 2012 was $4.00/1000 PL. Even at that time, we thought of being vertically integrated, but then continued to focus on this hatchery business. Demand was high, prices were great—₹800/1,000 PL(USD18) at one point.

Success with efficiency, diversification and quality PL

Looking back, what made your model so successful?

Three things: First, operational efficiency – running lean and highly functional hatcheries. Second, market diversification – never relying on one region. Lastly, commitment to quality – disease-free PL was our promise, and we stuck to it with science and rig our. These helped us build credibility, and once that happened, demand followed. Four years ago, we built another greenfield hatchery in Pondicherry and expanded our existing ones. Today, we produce around 5 billion PL per year across eight hatcheries. We have five hatcheries in Vizag and three in Pondicherry. In 2024, we also acquired a new hatchery in Vizag.

Which were your most successful years?

2011 to 2017 were the honeymoon years for the industry in India. Demand for PL was sky-high, prices remained strong, and farmers achieved profitable returns. During this time, all hatcheries—including those offering poorer quality PL—performed well. India benefited from fortunate timing, as new farms were profitable and vannamei shrimp was introduced just as EMS hit Southeast Asia and China’s rising middle class increased imports. These global trends aligned by chance, giving India a major advantage.

Vertical integration

What was the push to be integrated?

We are now a vertically integrated company with hatchery, farming, and processing operations. In 2021,we started our processing operations in a leased facility. We completed a modern processing facility in Vizag that will be fully operational by October 2025. After gaining experience at a small plant near Calcutta over the past four years, we recognise that market fluctuations are part of this cyclical industry. Despite current low shrimp prices, our long-term plans remain unchanged. We are also exploring opportunities in the domestic market. Growing the hatchery business in India is limited. It is afragmented segment. A vertically integrated operation with farming and processing, gives us more scope to increase revenue. With our own farms, we control quality and post-harvest handling, especially maintaining the cold chain, which is critical. Our processing plant is strategically located, just 25kmfrom our farm. In India, such proximity is a dream, and it gives us a huge advantage in ensuring quality. Moving forward, we would like to increase our farming.

Drivers of success

Reflecting on your own success — what would you say made the difference for you?

Success requires perseverance, consistency, and honesty, as well as staying focused, seeking opportunities even during adversity, and always be truthful with yourself and your business. However, I have been fortunate to work with a strong team—most of us (partners, shareholders, and our senior staff) have been together since 2001. This level of trust is essential in our industry. One person alone cannot build all this. We made smart decisions and remained committed, which enabled us to sustain our top position in the hatchery segment for over two decades. Our ongoing evolution and focus have been key to our stability and success.

Raising the bar with quality and disease-tolerant broodstock

As President of AISHA, what are your goals for the hatchery segment in India?

The hatchery is the bridge connecting breeding with farming, so strict protocols are necessary to produce disease-free PL. India already has advanced infrastructure, with 95% of its shrimp hatcheries meeting high standards. At TARS, I brought up how our association can improve broodstock. We can learn from Ecuador’s success with WSSV-tolerant broodstock, which reduces survival rates to 50-60% during outbreaks rather than causing total losses. Asia faces crop losses due to disease and adopting disease-tolerant and SPF-certified broodstock, as practiced in Saudi Arabia, is essential. In any industry, there are bad apples. How can AISHA support self-regulation among hatcheries? It comes down to individual reputation. If a hatchery does not operate responsibly, it will not survive in such a competitive market. Market forces drive better operational practices. On top of that, regulatory bodies like the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA) conduct regular inspections. The hatchery in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, has a production capacity of 1.2 billion post larvae/year. We also invest in awareness programs. HATCH India brings together all 550 hatcheries every two years, and even hatchery technicians are involved and benefit.

What support do you expect from broodstock suppliers to develop shrimp farming in India?

I am not a big fan of BMCs (Broodstock Multiplication Centres) which grow imported parent lines with relatively less biosecurity compared to nucleus breeding centres. Disease can easily slip through. Besides, broodstock imports only cost around INR120 crores, while our shrimp exports are worth INR35,000 crores. That’s less than 1%—so why take the risk? Breeders must work closely with hatcheries and understand India’s field conditions. Currently, they run selection programs mostly in the U.S. and ship broodstock without any local selection. In contrast, entire farms act as genetic testing grounds in Ecuador. They select the best performers across 200,000ha. Selection should occur in India using data to identify appropriate lines with markers. India needs to run sentinel trials and develop region-specific lines, especially ones that show tolerance to EHP. Today, no breeding company has a truly EHP-tolerant line. It is a challenge not just for India, but for all of Asia. SPF has helped us scale, but it is no longer sufficient. There’s a need for improvement. Every breeding company must be willing to test and validate its claims in Indian conditions

What about more engagement with farmers?

The success of aquaculture in India depends on collaboration, communication, and continuous improvement across all sectors—hatcheries, farms, feed, and genetics. At HATCH India 2025, we will have dedicated sessions for farmers. Often, when a farmer has a bad crop, they blame the PL, while the real issue is usually management practices—biosecurity, pond preparation and post larvae handling. We need to stop working in silos. We must start breeding for the success of farmers, formulate feed for the success of farms, and educate farmers so that every part of the value chain contributes to the final outcome.

Use of antibiotics

What are the steps to educate hatcheries around antibiotic usage?

Antibiotics are covered under the National Residue Control Program (NRCP). The Export Inspection Council(EIC) takes hatchery samples and checks for residues. However, the testing method is flawed—especially in PL—because metabolites in the shrimp shell mimic antibiotics, resulting in false positives. Instead, authorities should inspect storerooms for antibiotic inventories. We are also running sensitisation programs to explain that antibiotics no longer work due to antimicrobial resistance(AMR). Even in hatcheries, the bacteria are already resistant. Probiotics and microbiome management are more effective, and we have seen a huge shift to ward probiotics in India’s hatcheries. The goal is to stabilise the microbial ecosystem, not fight it. Maintaining a balanced microbiome means fewer disease outbreaks and better PL quality.

Fostering collaboration Can industry players, including government agencies, collaborate well?

India’s industry cannot match Ecuador’s vertical integration, but we can compete through collaboration. Broodstock suppliers should work with feed mills to create nutritionally compatible diets. Feed companies should partner with farmers to provide support and knowledge. Government and industry bodies, such as CAA and AISHA, should align on practical regulation and training. Only through cross-sector collaboration can we raise standards and stay globally competitive. What is pushing India is competition. Let me give you some numbers:

•Hatcheries: 550 hatcheries with installed capacity of 200billion PLs vs 80–90 billion required.

•Feed mills: 3 million tonnes/year capacity vs 1.5 million tonnes /year demand.

•Processors: More cold storage and freezing capacity than needed. More numbers of cold storage facilities are chasing limited shrimp raw material 

Excess capacity forces players to boost quality or lose business. That is India’s invisible advantage. Whoever gives effective and efficient feed rules the roost.

Is there a need for collaboration in feed formulation?

Feed formulation cannot remain generic anymore. With 65% farms with low saline waters and with different genetic lines requiring different protein levels, it is vital for feed millers to collaborate with breeding companies. Only by aligning formulations with both environment and genetic lines can we achieve consistent growth, better FCR and profitability.

Shift to domestic consumption

Can India realistically build up local consumption?

The Indian shrimp industry should prioritise the domestic market. Farmers can sell fresh shrimp directly to nearby markets while processors should reach out markets in the hinterland with IQF and ready to cook products. Success depends on how our industry brings awareness to the public at large.

Generation Z represents 26% of India’s population and accounts for 47% of consumption. They are health-conscious and prefer high-protein, ready-to-eat and IQF shrimp. We need to educate and promote shrimp consumption directly to this demographic cohort as there is a clear match.

Looking ahead, how do you see India’s role globally?
India has the potential to become the Ecuador of production and the China of consumption. Only about
10% of India’s potential shrimp-farming land is used, while Ecuador has little room to expand. With a large domestic market and a growing middle class, India can scale up sustainably by maintaining low densities and innovating.

So, the future is bright but only if we act now.

The post From seed to scale appeared first on Aqua Culture Asia Pacific.

The global shrimp aquaculture industry is undergoing a transformative phase driven by innovations that
enhance productivity, biosecurity, and sustainability. Among these innovations, the shrimp nursery system has emerged as a strategic and flexible tool, enabling farmers to improve survival rates, manage farm inputs, and mitigate risks. Acting as an intermediary stage between hatchery-reared post larvae (PL) and grow-out ponds, nurseries offer a host of operational advantages that traditional direct grow-out stocking systems often lack.

The concept of a shrimp nursery
A shrimp nursery is a dedicated rearing facility—either indoor or outdoor—designed to hold and grow shrimp post larvae (PL) for 25 to 30 days before transferring them to grow-out ponds. The nursery similar to the shrimp grow-out pond has seen various evolutions in terms of structural design and operational principal.

In the early days, nurseries were traditionally large ponds in open systems. Gradually, they have evolved into closed indoor systems. The design of nursery tanks can be round, rectangular or raceway type and can be located indoor or outdoor. These nurseries may use cement or plastic tanks, lined raceways, or HDPE-lined earthen ponds, shaded or covered with nets or greenhouse, depending on infrastructure, climate, and investment level.

Stocking densities in nurseries typically range from 1,000 to 10,000 PL/m³, with controlled facilities for aeration, automation, water exchange as well as, feed and health management to produce robust post larvae.

The concept of shrimp nursery goes way back to the 1970s; since then it has been a part of the shrimp production system globally. Shrimp nurseries are more popular in Latin American Growing PL 8-10 in MAPL multiphase nursery facility between 0.25g to 0.50g depending on the genetics is part of the strategy for a steady success rate and healthy economic returns. shrimp producing countries. Only recently, they have gained attention in Asia due to prevalence of disease and high crop failure rates.

The strategic value of shrimp nurseries
The value of shrimp nursery is more than just a rearing facility. They are a flexible operational tool that allows farmers to benefit from better screening and health management. Nurseries serve as a bio-secure buffer between hatcheries and ponds; it enables early detection of disease symptoms, allowing for timely treatment and removal of unhealthy individuals before reaching grow-out ponds. This reduces or eliminates the risk of pathogen introduction in the grow-out ponds as various visual observations and diagnostic tests can be performed on the post larvae during the nursery phase which gives a safety cushion to avoid large disease outbreaks in grow-out ponds.

Proper acclimatisation

The controlled environment allows farmers to acclimatise shrimp to pond water conditions, hence reducing stress and mortality. The nursery concept is a perfect tool, allows for farming shrimp in low salinity farming areas. We know that any drop in salinity creates stress to post larvae.
In addition to that, if a farmer has many ponds with varying salinities, a nursery can act as a perfect intermediate allowing shrimp post larvae to acclimatise and condition properly to avoid stress and mortality.

Control over health management of post larvae Shrimp transferred from nurseries to grow-out ponds are typically more robust and they feed actively. They adapt faster to pond environments and show better feed conversion ratio (FCR), optimal feeding rate, better size uniformity and better response to various physico-chemical stressors in the pond environment.

This can be attributed to targeted treatment such as with the use of probiotics, bioactive compounds, immunostimulants and high-quality nursery feed during the rearing period. Incorporation of concepts like biofloc and recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) also further improves the post larvae’s robustness.

Flexible stocking and harvesting schedule

By using nurseries, farmers can stock their grow-out ponds in phases rather than all at once. This approach reduces the workload at any one time; it optimises feed and energy usage, and allows harvests to be scheduled more predictably, aligning with peak market prices. This flexibility enhances economic efficiency and cash flow management.

Integrated multiphase approach

Multiphase farming involves dividing the production cycle into several stages, each with optimised environments and production goal objectives. A typical three-phase system comprises: hatchery to nursery stage, nursery to transition or pre grow-out stage (e.g. raceways) and final grow out stage.
This operational system improves input efficiency, resource allocation, and production forecasting, making it highly adaptable to both small-scale and commercial operations.

MAPL multiphase shrimp farming model

The multiphase shrimp rearing facility by Mayank Aquaculture Pvt. Ltd. (MAPL) is the first of its kind isolated nursery facility in Gujarat, India. Its concept differs from the conventional or traditional nursery rearing as it is in an isolated area away from shrimp farming operations. The prime reason for this is the congestion in the shrimp farming area; the creek water source poses risk of pathogen introduction and cross contamination to the traditional nursery systems.

Secondly, the sophisticated infrastructure and design modifications can compromise the culture area and more importantly difficult to amend at every shrimp farming site of MAPL across the regions.. Figure 1 shows the project overview

This state-of-the-art facility involves indoor and outdoor nursery rearing, with 50-tonnes capacity indoor tanks and 200-tonnes capacity outdoor tanks. The incorporation of a seven-step water treatment ensures a disease-free water source to eliminate the risk of contamination to post larvae. The water undergoes settlement, storage in reservoir, rapid sand filter, slow sand filter, cartridge filter, ozoniser and UV treatment (Figure 2).

The rearing of PL 8-10 is carried out in the nursery facility until it reaches PL 30 to 40. The post larvae usually weigh around 3 to 4mg initially and final body weight after rearing is between 0.25g to 0.50g depending on the genetics, stocking density at the target grow-out pond and production goals.

Two approaches in post larvae rearing

These are as follows:

• Rearing of post larvae from PL 5-6 to PL 15 at phase 1 at around stocking density of 8 to 10 PL/L and then later shifting the PL 15 to outdoor tanks at stocking density of 4 to 5 PL/L where they are reared for an additional 20 to 25 days and then transferred at PL 35 to 40 to the grow out ponds.
• The shrimp post larvae which are typically PL 8 are stocked for 22 to 30 days in outdoor nursery tanks around 5 to 6 PL/L before transferring to grow-out ponds. Sometimes, even younger post larvae at around PL 5 or PL 6 are utilised as more PLs can be packed into each bag (4,000 to 4,500 ) instead of the conventional 3,000 to 3,300 PLs per bag for PL 8 to 10

Additionally, this also reduces the freight cost per post larvae with more per cargo. It is important to get early post larvae as in our region the cost of Litopenaeus vannamei post larvae is USD 5.84/1,000 PLs or INR 0.50/PL. This helps in reducing the price of post larvae by 20 to 25%.

The incorporation of biofloc technology has benefited the operations in terms of maintaining zero to minimal water exchange system at definitive periods and also boosting the health status of the shrimp. The shrimp are transported in a truck with plastic tanks and continuous oxygenation and also by following other SOPs pertaining to the transfer of nursery reared post larvae. Usually these have stunted growth and once they enter the grow-out pond, they exhibit compensatory growth as they reach optimal conditions and optimal feeding.

Benefits of isolated multiphase nursery rearing
These include:
• Proper post larvae screening and health management.
• Salinity acclimatisation for better survival.
• Reduction in days of culture gives an opportunity to save feed, energy cost and increase or double the production giving better economies of scale.
• Better average daily growth (ADG) post compensatory growth (direct stocking of post larvae at ADG 0.23g versus nursery reared ADG at 0.29g). Even combining nursery + grow-out stage rearing the average benefit with ADG post compensatory growth is around 8 to 10% with more efficient FCR and survival increase by 10 to 15%. This varies with genetics, stocking density, farming management and days of culture.
• Helps in combating summer stress (effect on ammonia, nitrite and Vibrio spp.), white gut, white faecal disease and running mortality syndrome very efficiently.
• Stocking post larvae in nursery tanks to effectively manage crop planning in batches and maintain proper production output as per market trends and also maintain positive cash flow management.
• Switching between Penaeus monodon and L. vannamei becomes very flexible from stocking until harvest and production goals, as after August, the domestic demand for vannamei is good in the West Indian market.
• Reduction in days of culture helps the shrimp to reach marketable size before white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) outbreak (10 to 12g for vannamei, 33 to 40g for black tiger). Figure 3 shows the post larvae rearing for both species.

Dependent on shrimp genetic line

If a shrimp genetic line has a higher ADG, above 0.30g, it is still advisable to apply direct stocking, on condition that the farmer can handle the physico-chemical stress, Vibrio spp., organic load, proper water treatment, water conditioning protocols, higher survival rates above 75% and good success rate at every crop.

However, all the above requirements are not achievable by everyone, as is evident from the disease issues and failure rate surrounding farms in Asia. Fulfilling all these criteria is possible but still the question remains – “Production at What Cost” as success rate and selling price ultimately is the decision maker.
Our experience showed that even for faster specific pathogen free (SPF) genetics in our region, with PL 8, we have seen a growth of 2.5g to 3g in 30 days post stocking. However, if we adopt an approach of bringing PL 5 and rearing them to PL 15 and then stocking into grow-out ponds, we have seen shrimp reaching 4g to 4.5g in 30 days, depending on the genetic line.

Additionally, with weekly moulting frequency in juvenile shrimp, we have seen increases in growth up to 35 to 37% in average body weight. (direct stocking of post larvae at 10.25g versus PL 15 nursery-reared at 14g). This has also helped MAPL’s domestic market operations in terms of producing cost effective post larvae.

By stocking younger post larvae (PL5), we reduce seed factor cost, i.e. 20-25% while the additional stocking of PL 15 gives better growth and survival that reflects on cost of production/kg of seed at the final stage. We have consistent success rate, is profitable at small sizes (10-16g) and adopt a batch wise stocking model.

“The nursery concept is very good for low to medium ADG shrimp genetics which aim for compensatory growth post stocking in grow-out ponds.”

New SPF black tiger genetics
In the new SPF black tiger genetics, we have also seen that stocking post larvae in nursery tanks for 10 to 15 days as an acclimatisation step to low salinity grow-out ponds of around 15 ppt, gave encouraging results by boosting shrimp health status and immunity. The result has been better growth, an 8-10% increase in ADG and a steady survival rate at farm.

From our experience, the nursery concept is very good for low to medium ADG shrimp genetics which aim for compensatory growth post stocking in grow-out ponds. For those from fast genetics resulting in higher ADGs one can still think of acclimatisation, health status and screening to maintain success rate at farms. It is evident that using nurseries have helped the corporate and large-scale operation in Latin America and Ecuador, deliver success rates and utilise their genetics efficiently.

India vs Ecuador

Comparing India and Ecuador, the concept and purpose of nursery are slightly different. In Ecuador with higher success rates in farming, nurseries are for operational management. While in India and the rest of Asia where success rates are low, the nursery concept is more for biosecurity and disease mitigation.
Hence, the cost of nursery setup can be high for Asia given that water filtration and treatment add cost. However, if nurseries are working for Latin America they should also work for Asia, but the intended use should be clearly defined for the farmer or corporate firm.

More importantly, for small scale farmers in India, it would be advisable to set up farmer cluster group and share cost for high quality nursery setups.

Lastly, however nursery is not the solution for every problem, but one can see it as a “PAL” Pre-grow assistant for post larvae or “PARTNER” Precision Aquaculture Rearing Technology for Nurturing & Enhanced Returns that holds the capability to give healthy shrimp and healthy economic returns with steady success rate. 

This article was first published in July/August 2025.

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The two-day 14th Aquaculture Roundtable Series (TARS) concluded successfully. It brought together 284 participants representing the shrimp supply chain in Asia, speakers, panellists, moderators, and industry leaders from 22 countries in the largest edition to date.

This seventh TARS on shrimp aquaculture centred around precision farming for higher productivity and profitability. It provided a platform to examine Asia’s shrimp industry at a critical turning point, marked by low prices, rising costs, frequent disease outbreaks, and poor success rates.

The program featured 10 sessions with 52 international and regional speakers, panellists and industry players who shared trends and insights.

“It is imperative for farms and businesses to adopt smarter and more precise farm technologies to remain competitive. Today, we are seeing how data tools, AI and automation are transforming how we manage water quality, disease prevention and feed optimization, at this TARS, let us harness the power of collaboration and innovation to navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead and build a sustainable and prosperous industry together.”

said Dr. Thitiporn Laoprasert, Deputy Director-General, Department of Fisheries (DOF) during her opening address.

TARS 2025 started with an assessment on State of the Global Shrimp Supply and Demand. It explored how Asia can better respond to shifting market needs. Thailand’s Klomsuwan sisters, shared data-driven approaches that boosted yields by 60%.

Key takeaways:

• · While the Asian model is not broken but misunderstood, excessive intensification raises disease risk and undermines long-term sustainability in Asia.
• · In Ecuador, vertical integration and process optimisation deliver efficiency and resilience. It is also seen as transitioning from selling a product to meeting a need.
• · China is still considered a promising market for Asian producers, but current demand is shifting towards lower volumes and higher quality.
• · Consumers increasingly demand sustainability and traceable, consistent, premium-quality seafood with no soaking, and that are antibiotic-free. E-commerce is becoming a key market channel.
• · Success comes with adopting precision farming practices. Data-driven monitoring, strong biosecurity, and clear SOPs are critical to productivity and market alignment.

Participants learnt how Ecuador has a competitive shrimp industry by leveraging on its professionalism, promoting investments and brand development. It showed that sustainable growth is possible through scale, innovation, and integration. Ecuador’s distinct geography, politics, and business environments shape its unique model. The learnings from Asian producers on intensification are for Ecuador not to push the limits of carrying capacity. The message was not to see Ecuador as a competitor but to learn on its fundamentals in genetics, hatchery and nursery management and in production planning.

 At Hard Talk, business leaders along the value chain from genetics, hatcheries, feeds in Asia and Latin America, and processing and marketing discussed shrimp aquaculture dysfunction in Asia. Asia’s fragmented system, with 70% of production from small farms, limits cooperation; meanwhile, Ecuador’s integrated model encourages collaboration between farmers and processors. Members agreed small farmers are resilient during challenges and stressed that increased collaboration — with added value tailored to target markets—is necessary, rather than full integration.

“For the long-term sustainability of the industry, it is the second generation of farmers who are stepping up, forming strong peer networks to support one another and driving the transition from founder-led enterprises to modern, science-driven shrimp farming businesses,”

said Zuridah Merican, Chair of TARS and Editor of AquaCulture Asia Pacific.

At the pond side chat, second generation shrimp business leaders, Rizky Darmawan (Indonesia), Chodpipat Limlertwatee (Thailand), Hai Nguyen (Vietnam), and Mayank Sharma (India) showed how they are leading with science, technology, and resilience, ensuring continuity and growth for the industry.

The takeaways included:

•  Family business succession requires balancing respect for tradition with openness to innovation, where younger generations must earn trust to take calculated risks.
•  Integrated nursery systems present opportunities for efficiency but demands careful logistics, biosecurity, and seamless transfer protocols to avoid losses.
•  Black tiger shrimp farming can be profitable with product segmentation targeting larger sizes and disciplined farm protocols to mitigate disease risks.
•  Innovation and risk-taking should be framed as structured, data-driven pilots that complement existing practices, demonstrating value without undermining the stability of legacy operations.

The Interactive Roundtable Breakouts session focussed on precision shrimp aquaculture and the new deal.

“We cannot improve on what we cannot measure. Delegates co-developed metrics for precision shrimp farming, reinforcing TARS’ hallmark of inclusive and solution-driven dialogue,”

added Merican.

The technical sessions provided the following takeaways:

•  Precision farming and production planning noted that genetics drive ~50% of performance, but hatchery management and robust post larvae delivery determine field success. Science-based SPF breeding programs remain the standard in Asia compared to Ecuador’s APE advances. Nursery systems improve survival, inventory control, and profitability, but transfer logistics are critical. Integrated systems are proving viable in Vietnam.

• 

•  Precision nutrition promoted the use of functional additives for gut health, immunity and health interventions. Awareness of negative effects of mycotoxins and endotoxins in shrimp production is critical. In terms of feed sustainability. fishmeal replacement with the same performance at the same cost is the goal. Independence from the marine ingredients in feeds is with non-animal-based sensory additives. Real-time monitoring and acoustic feeding, show promise but adoption varies by region and farm scale.
  

  

• Disease mitigation and control of transparent post larvae disease (TPD) in Vietnam requires modular biosecurity to reduce spread and functional additives. Lessons on Vibrio control also led to functional additives to support gut health, microbiome and immune modulation. Early disease diagnostics, multi-pathogen management and lower stocking densities remain key to reducing disease risk.

The future proofing session emphasised on how the retail sector is increasingly influencing shrimp farming practices, focusing on provenance and health benefits. In securing post-harvest product quality, time and temperature control and an optimized supply chain from producers to exporters are critical.

For a sustainable feed strategy, the industry requires lower crude protein feeds with high digestibility. Asia tends to use higher crude protein compared to Latam. There is big opportunity for growth with mathematical modelling to assess impacts of key factors, identifying solutions, formulating to reduce marine ingredient and no marine oils and more sustainable protein/energy levels.

TARS 2025 recognised the role of startups in advancing pond management, disease prevention, and climate adaptation – critical for farmers facing repeated crop failures.

Organizers, Aqua Research PL, publisher of Aqua Culture Asia Pacific and Corporate Media Services acknowledged the hard work, insights, and dedication of all the presenters, moderators, industry panellists, roundtable and group leaders who contributed to the success of TARS 2025.

TARS 2025 was made possible with the strong support of Thailand’s Department of Fisheries, along with industry partners including dsm-firmenich, U.S. Grains Council, Jefo Nutrition, Auranta, Adisseo, ADM, SyAqua, Alltech, BioMar, Veramaris, Lucta, and Motiv. See more details on the program at www.tarsaquaculture.com

As TARS continues to grow, it is helping shape a future where shrimp aquaculture is more resilient, efficient, and aligned with the needs of both producers and consumers worldwide.

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Bacterial diseases, especially those caused by Vibrio spp are a leading cause of mortality in shrimp hatcheries. In the early days of shrimp aquaculture, antibiotics were the primary defense against bacterial outbreaks. Despite growing awareness of the risks associated with routine antibiotic use—particularly the emergence of resistant strains—many hatcheries continue to rely on antibiotics for bacterial control.

Beginning in the 1990s, however, the use of probiotics gradually gained acceptance, largely due to the pioneering work of Australian scientist David Moriarty (Fletcher, 2019). Today, probiotics are widely used in larval rearing protocols across shrimp hatcheries worldwide.

Water-based probiotic application
The application of probiotic bacteria to rearing water can improve both shrimp health and water quality. Studies have shown that probiotics reduce ammonia levels (Kewcharoen & Srisapoome, 2019) and help inhibit the growth of pathogens such as Vibrio spp. (Decamp et al., 2008), thus promoting a healthier environment for larval development.

However, water based applications have notable limitations. Effective probiotic dosing through water can be expensive. A typical application rate of 3–5ppm/day of a 109 CFU/g probiotic results in only 3,000–5,000 CFU/mL. While these treatment rates are affordable, some studies have suggested that pathogen control may require concentrations closer to 106 CFU/mL (Ghosh, 2025), significantly increasing treatment costs. Even increasing the probiotic additions to 50ppm/day, the resulting treatment rate would only be 5×104 CFU/mL.

Another limitation is that probiotics delivered through water do not effectively colonise the gut of the shrimp larvae. While such treatments may reduce the overall Vibrio load in the tank, they do not prevent larvae from ingesting high doses of Vibrio associated with contaminated Artemia or organic material (Verschuere et al., 2000). Once ingested, these pathogens can infect the shrimp through the lining of the gut.

Targeted delivery of probiotics to the gut
A more effective method of protecting the shrimp from Vibrio infection is to deliver the probiotic bacteria directly into the gastrointestinal tract by including the probiotics in the feed. This targeted approach allows probiotics to colonise the gut and establish a protective microbial barrier that intercepts pathogens at their point of entry.

Although direct measurement of colonisation in larval shrimp is difficult, a study by Zeigler and the University of the Philippines Visayas demonstrated that when juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei were fed with feed top-coated with Rescue probiotic (5×10⁶ CFU/g feed), Bacillus spp. were able to rapidly colonise the walls of the GI tract, reaching a density of 1×10⁷ CFU/g gut tissue in 7 days.

Once established in the gut, Bacillus probiotics limit Vibrio through several complementary mechanisms. They compete with pathogens for adhesion sites and nutrients, secrete antimicrobial compounds such as bacteriocins and lipopeptides, stimulate immune responses including phagocytic activity and upregulation of immune genes, and help maintain the integrity of the gut lining, reducing opportunities for pathogen invasion (Ghosh, 2025; Kewcharoen & Srisapoome, 2019; Zokaeifar et al., 2012;). Collectively, these effects make feed-based applications of Bacillus probiotics more effective than water treatments for long-term Vibrio control in shrimp hatcheries.

Probiotic strain selection
Bacillus species are well-suited for use in shrimp feeds due to their spore-forming ability, which facilitates packaging and storage. They are also highly adaptable, performing well across the broad salinity, temperature, and pH ranges common in hatchery environments. In addition, Bacillus spp. produce a wide range of antimicrobial compounds and enzymes that inhibit Vibrio, degrade biofilms, and interfere with quorum sensing (Shaheer et al., 2021; Ghosh, 2025).

However, not all Bacillus strains are equally effective. Some are particularly potent against Vibrio, while others are better suited for waste degradation or ammonia reduction. For this reason, strain selection is critical. Zeigler evaluated 21 Bacillus strains for their ability to inhibit four pathogenic strains of Vibrio spp. (Figure 1).

The four best performing strains were included in the Rescue probiotic. Similarly, numerous Bacillus strains were evaluated for their ability to reduce ammonia levels and digest organic material (Figure 2), with five strains being selected for inclusion in the Remediate probiotic. This targeted strain selection ensures that each product delivers maximum performance in its intended use.

Manufacturing challenges to probiotic inclusion
Despite the clear benefits of including probiotics in feeds, several factors limit widespread adoption. Maintaining the viability of the probiotics during the manufacturing process remains a major challenge. Most bacteria are unable to survive the high temperatures associated with processing. Although the endospores of Bacillus bacteria are relatively resistant to high temperatures, germinated spores are very sensitive to heat. The exposure of the spores to moisture in feed premixes is sufficient to activate the germination process. Activated spores are sensitive to high temperatures and do not survive. In nursery and grow out diets, probiotic bacteria can be mixed with oil and top- coated onto the feed pellets. However, this approach does not work well for larval diets, which, after pelleting, are ground finely and then sieved. Top-coating oil onto finely ground feed results in clumping of the feed.

An innovative solution for incorporating probiotics into hatchery diets
To address this problem, Zeigler developed a proprietary cold-process method for incorporating probiotics into liquid larval feeds. The resulting products, EZ Larva Ultra and EZ Artemia Ultra, preserve spore viability and allow for precise and consistent probiotic delivery.

Rescue, a blend of Bacillus strains selected for their anti-Vibrio activity, is enclosed within microcapsules for targeted gut delivery. Remediate, formulated to reduce ammonia and organic waste, is included in the liquid fraction of both feeds and disperses into the rearing water upon feeding. Both products deliver viable spores at efficacious levels when fed as directed.

In addition to probiotics, Zeigler’s liquid feeds also contain organic acids and Vpak, a blend of several functional ingredients that enhance immune function, improve nutrient utilisation, and increase resistance to oxidative stress. These functional ingredients help maximise the overall health benefits provided by the probiotic bacteria.

Proof of effectiveness
With rapid gut transit times in larval shrimp, in as little as 20–30 minutes (Jones et al., 1997), some skeptics questioned whether this allows sufficient time for the spores to germinate and colonise the gut. To test whether the probiotics in EZ Larva Ultra and EZ Artemia Ultra could colonise the larval gut and improve survival, Zeigler’s Aquaculture Research Center conducted a feeding trial comparing two diet formulations. The negative control diet contained no probiotics, while the other included Rescue in the microcapsules and Remediate in the liquid fraction. EZ Larva Ultra was fed as 50% of the diet during the zoea and mysis stages. EZ Artemia Ultra replaced Artemia nauplii in the protocol during mysis and post larvae stages. Rearing tank water was also treated twice daily with 5ppm of Rescue (5×104 CFU/mL/day) throughout the study. The larvae were challenged at PL9 by immersion with Vibrio parahaemolyticus AHPND at 5×104 CFU/mL for 24 hours. Survival was recorded after 72 hours (Figure 3).

The results were conclusive. Survival in the control group was 50%. In contrast, survival in the probiotic treatment group reached 83.3%, a 33.3% improvement. These findings clearly indicate that the probiotics delivered in the liquid feeds were capable of colonising the shrimp gut and significantly reducing mortality. Moreover, the improved protection suggests that feed-based delivery of the probiotics was more effective than water treatment alone.

Conclusions and economic implications
This trial, along with a growing body of research on probiotic mechanisms of action, points to a clear conclusion: delivering probiotics through larval diets offers a more efficient and biologically effective strategy for controlling aquatic Vibrio infections than applying them through water alone.
By targeting the gut directly, encapsulated Bacillus spp. colonise the gastrointestinal tract, inhibit pathogens, and stimulate immune defenses when shrimp are most vulnerable. Zeigler’s cold-processed liquid feeds maintain probiotic viability and allow for reliable, consistent dosing— advantages that are difficult to achieve with traditional dry feeds or water-based applications.

The implications for hatchery operations are significant. Even small increases in post larval survival can translate into substantial gains in seed output and revenue. Incorporating probiotic enriched diets can reduce mortality, improve larval quality, and decrease reliance on antibiotics, while enhancing the overall biosecurity of the production system.

References
Cao, Z., Yang, Q., Kang, A., Wang, G., Li, P., Qiu, G., Wang, J., Liu, C., & Sun, Y. 2025. Probiotic properties of Bacillus licheniformis HN318. Frontiers in Marine Science, 12, 1548955. https://doi. org/10.3389/fmars.2025.1548955

Decamp, O., Moriarty, D.J.W. & Lavens, P. 2008. Probiotics for shrimp larviculture: review of field data from Asia and Latin America. Aquaculture Research, 39: 334-338. https://doi.org/10.1111/ j.1365-2109.2007.01664.x

Fletcher, R. 2019. The godfather of shrimp probiotics. The Fish Site. May 14, 2019. https://thefishsite.com/articles/the-godfather-of- shrimp-probiotics

Ghosh, T. 2025. Recent advances in the probiotic application of Bacillus as a potential candidate in the sustainable development of aquaculture. Aquaculture, 594, 741432. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. aquaculture.2024.741432

Jones, D.A., Kumlu, M., Le Vay, L., & Fletcher, D.J. 1997. The digestive physiology and the selection of natural diets for crustacean larvae. Aquaculture, 155(1–4), 285–295. https://doi. org/10.1016/S0044-8486(97)00128-0

Kewcharoen, W. & Srisapoome, P. 2019. Immune-related gene expression and growth performance of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) fed a synbiotic diet and challenged with Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Fish & Shellfish Immunology, 86, 372–383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsi.2018.11.053

Shaheer, P., Sreejith, V.N., Joseph, T.C., Murugadas, V., & Lalitha, K.V. 2021. Quorum quenching Bacillus spp.: An alternative biocontrol agent for Vibrio harveyi infection in aquaculture. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 146, 117–128. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03647

Verschuere, L., Rombaut, G., Sorgeloos, P., & Verstraete, W. 2000. Probiotic bacteria as biological control agents in aquaculture. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, 64(4), 655–671. https://doi.org/10.1128/MMBR.64.4.655-671.2000.

Zokaeifar, H., Balcázar, J.L, Saad, C.R., Kamarudin, M.S., Sijam, K., Arshad, A., & Nejat, N. 2012. Effects of Bacillus subtilis on the growth performance, digestive enzymes, immune gene expression and disease resistance of white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. Fish Shellfish Immunol. 33(4):683-9. doi: 10.1016/j.fsi.2012.05.027.

Peter Van Wyk is Global Technical Sales Manager for Zeigler Bros. Inc. based in Florida.
Email: peter.vanwyk@zeiglerfeed.com

Leandro Castro is Senior Research Manager for Zeigler Bros. Inc. based in Pennsylvania

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