UDANG ROSTRIS
"AN INTRODUCTION"
BACKGROUND
The VERIFICATION OF SEEDS
PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY and the CULTURE TECHNOLOGY of udang rostris in Brunei
Darussalam have been successfully completed.
The shrimp is originally from
Mexico and is scientifically known as, Litopeneaus stylirostris. It is known in
the international market as the "Mexican white", in Mexico itself as
‘camarul azul’ and in France as ‘crevette blue’. Here in Brunei
Darussalam and also regionally we will promote it as udang rostris.
The technology verification was
started in Brunei Darussalam in May 1999 through a ‘strategic alliance’ with the
Super Shrimp Group of the United States of America which has successfully
"domesticated" the shrimp for at least 15 years.
The main objective of the
verification is to get an alternative species which will have better grow-out qualities
than the tiger shrimps which are currently being cultured by the local farmers.
Despite the rapid growth of the
shrimp aquaculture industry in Brunei Darussalam, that is, from a mere production of 3
metric tons in 1993 to about 45 metric tons in 1999, the total production achieved is
still well below the full potential of the areas awarded to the farmers. A number of
factors causing this, have been identified, among others:
- insufficient and inconsistent supply of seeds,
- low survival rate of the cultured shrimps,
- low growth rate and
- the stocking density that can be applied is also quite low.
The results that we have managed to
obtain with udang rostris are very encouraging and far beyond our estimation and
expectation:
THE VERIFICATION OF
SEEDS PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
- we managed to produce up to 2 million eggs within 3
months production cycle (compared to only about 0.9 million that we have managed to
achieve with tiger shrimp),
- we have achieved an hatching rate of the eggs between 80-90% (tiger shrimp 60-70%) and
- from ‘nauplii’ (newly hatched eggs) to PL15 (postlarvae size which is ready
for stocking) we managed to obtained a survival rate of between 50-55% (tiger shrimp
15-30%).
THE VERIFICATION OF THE
CULTURE TECHNOLOGY
- we managed to increase the stocking density to 30
per square metre for our culture trials at the Fisheries Department’s Serasa Grow-out
Ponds and 20 per square metre in the operators’ own ponds. The operators are
purposely requested to participate so that we can do actual commercial and
‘in-situ’ culture trials in the farmers own ponds and as much as possible
operated by themselves (our experience with the tiger shrimps was only 15 per square
metre),
- we have achieved a growth rate of 99% per week (our achievement with tiger shrimps was
only 72%). In 100 days culture period, the average weight obtained with the udang
rostris was about 26 grams and
- the survival rate obtained was 80% (tiger shrimp 60-70%).
With the achievements that we have
obtained with udang rostris:
- the marketable size of 30 gram will require a
culture period of only about 110 days (tiger shrimps 5 months),
- it is possible to have at least 3 production cycles per year (tiger shrimps 2 cycles)
and
- a production of about 12 metric tons per hectre per year (with a stocking density of 20
per square metre) or 18 metric tons (with a stocking density of 30 per square metre). Our
experience with tiger shrimps so far was only 6 metric tons per year.
THE FUTURE
- the commercial seeds production at the Fisheries
Department’s Meragang Hatchery will be transferred to SEIWA Corporation Sdn. Bhd. (a
subsidiary company of Semaun Prim Sdn. Bhd.) which is in the process of negotiating a
joint-venture with the Super Shrimp Group,
- the supply of seeds will be consistent and assured and the needs to import seeds, which
is currently about $80,000.00 per year will no longer be necessary,
- the operators will be encouraged to maximize the usage of the areas allocated to them.
When this is achieved the local shrimp production will be enough for the local shrimp
demand and substituting the shrimp import requirement which currently is about $4 million
per year,
- the achievements of the operators will also mean that the consumers will choice of udang
rostris in addition to the tiger as well as other captured shrimps in the market,
- Brunei Darussalam will have a potential to be an exporter of udang rostris seeds (so far
SEIWA Corporation Sdn. Bhd. have already received an order for 3 million seeds per month
from Sarawak) as well as for marketable size shrimps (so far there have been requests from
Labuan, Japan and the United States of America itself) and
- The Fisheries Department will continue with the verification of the broodstock
production technology and also with the culture technology in the recirculatory water
system.
FISHERIES DEPARTMENT
MINISTRY OF INDUSTR AND PRIMARY RESOURCES
26 RABIULAWAL 1421
29 JUNE 2000.
