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Genetic selection and sustainable aquafeed in the farming of Malaysian giant freshwater prawn Giva Kuppusamy, M. Janaranjani, Farahani Muhammad Azam, Wan Nur Hazwani, GK Aqua Sdn Bhd
Figure 1. Female (A) and male (B) giant freshwater prawn. Phenotypically selected brood on right for A and B. Source: GK Aqua Sdn Bhd.
Towards the circular green economy of freshwater prawn farming GK AQUA is an emerging biotechnology company formed to commercialize giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) by implementing its pioneering technology to improve its farming. M. rosenbergii, commonly known as Malaysian giant freshwater prawn, is a native species in tropical regions in Southeast Asia and Northen Australia (Gallo et al., 2016). This respective species has turned into a potential candidate in aquaculture due to its adaptability to tolerate a wide range of temperatures (14-35°C) and 0-25 ppt salinity (Cheng & Chen, 2000). The production of farmed M. rosenbergii has increased 13,900% since 2008 from its production of 3,000 tonnes 30 years ago (Banu & Christianus, 2016). Although the global
Hatchery Feed & Management Vol 10 Issue 1 2022
culture of giant freshwater prawns faced tremendous growth, Malaysia faced major bottlenecks with inconsistent production and poor survival rate of the larvae. However, with a research methodology and established protocol, GK Aqua successfully overcame the bottlenecks with two approaches, genetic selection and nutrient manipulation.
Genetic selection A crucial element to selectively choose specific or targeted traits in cultured species to enhance the phenotypic traits such as growth, body colors and disease resistance is genetic selection. Giant freshwater prawn is a unique species with the presence of five morphotypes of males, categorized as small claw (SM), orange claw (OC), blue claw (BC), old blue claw (OBC) and no claw (NC) (Sagi & Ra’anan, 1988).
