Attainment of maturity in pond-reared Kuruma prawn Penaeus japonicus Bate

Abstract

Early juveniles of Kuruma prawn Penaeus japonicus, collected from wild, were successfully cultivated in an enclosed earthern pond at Mariculture Farm, Muttukadu near Madras on supplementary clam meat diet for a period of 6 months, during which period, they exhibited a growth of 11.2 mm/month. When a few specimens were reared further, females were found with developing ovary at the 11th month of culture. In the second trial conducted with the hatchery raised seeds of Kuruma prawn, the monthly growth was 15.4 mm and females became impregnated by the sixth month and matured by ninth month of rearing. The most significant observation in these trials is the occurrence of maturing female Kuruma prawns which has paved the way for the establishment of indoor broodstock for the first time in India and subsequent domestication of the species.