Biofloc technology applied to rear shrimp Litopenaeus Stylirostris broodstock: An integrated and development research project in New Caledonia and French Polynesia

Shrimp farming in New-Caledonia faces up to difficulties. A fluctuating quality of broodstock prevents sustainable production of larvae in quantity and quality. The traditional extensive rearing method of broodstock in outdoor earthen ponds used in New Caledonia raises several issues: poor water quality control and biosecurity. Therefore it is fundamental to modify the broodstock culture strategy in order to achieve an easier water quality management and maximal biosecurity. Biofloc technology (BFT) offers easier water quality management, higher natural productivity, higher level of biosecurity, and could be a good alternative. Since 2011 a R&D program started under the supervision of IFREMER in New Caledonia and French Polynesia in order to study and develop biofloc technology for rearing shrimp L. stylirostris broodstock. In a first step we showed that biofloc (BFT) improved significantly the reproductive performances of shrimps and the quality of their larvae compared to Clear Water (CW) or Earthen Pond (EP), with: • A better final survival rate of broodstock from BFT compare to CW. • Females from BFT produced more eggs per spawn and spawned more frequently compared to females from CW or EP. • The larvae from BFT females had a significantly higher survival rate compared to larvae from CW females, respectively 70% (n=4) and 45% (n=4). In a second step we studied the underlying biological mechanisms explaining the better reproductive performance and health status of the broodstock from BFT rearing system, and the better quality of their larvae. We showed that the juvenile shrimp fed actively on biofloc, which represented 60% of their whole food (40% coming from pelleted diet). Biofloc represents a significant source of essential nutrients (vitamins, antioxidants, highly unsaturated fatty acids, …) or dietary bacteria which could act as probiotic. These dietary complements could explain the improved health status (immunity and oxidative status status), the better resistance to oxidative stress and a systematically better survival rate of the shrimp reared in BFT compared to those reared in CW