Genetic (co)variation in harvest body weight and survival in Penaeus (Litopenaeus) vannamei under standard commercial conditions

In 1997, CENIACUA (Centro de Investigaciones para la Acuicultura en Colombia) in collaboration with AKVAFORSK (Institute of Aquaculture Research, Norway) initiated a family-based selection scheme in Penaeus (Litopenaeus) vannamei to improve growth rate and survival in ponds and tanks. This paper reports results from a series of tests in which a total of 430 full-sib families (representing 204 paternal half-sib families) were tested for harvest weight and survival in standard commercial and intensive growing environments. The families originated from two selected lines. The estimates of heritability (h2±S.E.) for harvest weight for the two lines were 0.24±0.05 and 0.17±0.04, and the corresponding estimates for survival in pond/tanks were 0.04±0.02 and 0.10±0.02. Results showed a favorable correlation between the estimated mean full-sib family breeding values for harvest weight and pond/tank survival (0.42 in line 1 and 0.40 in line 2) indicating that selecting for growth will cause a positive correlated response in overall survival. The genetic correlations between body weights and pond/tank survival in different grow-out environments were high, demonstrating low genotype by farm interaction (GXE) for both traits.