Development of a specific pathogen-free (SPF) population of the Chinese fleshy prawn Fenneropenaeus chinensis

A total of 36 gravid female shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis, captured off the coast of Qingdao, Peoples Republic of China, from April 20 through April 24, 2001, were examined by PCR for the presence of WSSV and HPV, the two most prevalent viral diseases affecting this species of shrimp in this region of China. Eight spawns, derived from 8 different females, were selected from shrimp where no WSSV or HPV had been detected. Nauplii obtained from 7 individual spawns and unhatched eggs from one other shrimp were transported to the University of Arizona, in Tucson, Arizona, USA, for larval rearing and production of postlarvae under quarantine protocols. The resultant postlarvae were kept in Primary Quarantine for approximately 2 months, while additional tests were performed to determine their specific pathogen-free (SPF) status according to criteria set by the United States Marine Shrimp Farming Program (USMSFP). By the time the shrimp had reached an average weight of approximately 0.4 g, no USMSFP specific listed pathogens had been detected in any of the 7 hatches and the shrimp were released into Secondary Quarantine at the Oceanic Institute in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii for production of a F1 generation. This F1 generation may be used as a SPF founder population for propagation and selection programs.