Tissue biochemical composition in relation to multiple spawning in wild and pond-reared Penaeus vannamei broodstock

The effect of the number of spawnings on several biochemical components of ovary, hepatopancreas, and haemolymph was investigated. Shrimps of two orig ins were compared; wild-caught and pond-reared spawners. Individually tagge d females were sampled at the end of a production period in a commercial ha tchery. Females with multiple spawnings had a higher gonadosomatic index (G SI), increased levels of protein in the ovary, and increased levels of acyl glycerides (AG) and total protein in the hepatopancreas. Wild shrimps had a higher fecundity and higher levels of AG in hepatopancreas, and AG, choles terol, protein, and glucose in haemolymph. Pond-reared shrimps had a higher hepatosomatic index than wild counterparts. The biochemical composition of the ovary reflected the typical nutrient accumulation associated with matu ration. The capacity for multiple spawning could be related to metabolism o f energetic lipids that are accumulated in the hepatopancreas, which in tur n depends on size and origin of the broodstock. Females with multiple spawn ing capacity may be adequate for production purposes, although more researc h is needed to address the possibility of specific metabolic indicators of a multiple spawning capacity without a decline in spawn quality, and to def ine whether this is an inherited characteristic that can be selected in an improvement program. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.