Whiteleg shrimp
Litopenaeus vannamei | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Crustacea |
Class: | Malacostraca |
Order: | Decapoda |
Suborder: | Dendrobranchiata |
Family: | Penaeidae |
Genus: | Litopenaeus |
Species: | L. vannamei
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Binomial name | |
Litopenaeus vannamei | |
Synonyms | |
Penaeus vannamei Boone, 1931 |
Whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei, synonym Penaeus vannamei), also known as Pacific white shrimp or King prawn, is a species of prawn of the eastern Pacific Ocean commonly caught or farmed for food.
Description[]
L. vannamei grows to a maximum length of 230 mm (9.1 in), with a carapace length of 90 mm (3.5 in).[2] Adults live in the ocean, at depths to 72 m (236 ft), while juveniles live in estuaries.[2] The rostrum is moderately long, with 7–10 teeth on the dorsal side and two to four teeth on the ventral side.[2]
Distribution and habitat[]
Whiteleg shrimp are native to the eastern Pacific Ocean, from the Mexican state of Sonora to as far south as northern Peru.[2] It is restricted to areas where the water temperatures remain above 20 °C (68 °F) throughout the year.[3]
Fishery and aquaculture[]
During the 20th century, L. vannamei was an important species for Mexican inshore fishermen, as well as for trawlers further offshore.[2] In the late 20th century, the wild fishery was overtaken by the development of aquaculture production; this began in 1973 in Florida using prawns captured in Panama, that were used in hatcheries for larvae production.[3]
In Latin America, the culture of L. vannamei started to develop with the availability of hatchery larvae, the development of feeds, the technification of the growth processes, the freezing installations and market channels, among others.
From Mexico to Peru most countries developed in the 70s and 80s large production areas. Ecuador became one of the world leaders producers of this type of shrimp.
Around the beginning of the millennial, Asia introduced this species in their aquaculture operations (Changing from penaeus monodon). China, Vietnam, India and others have become major packers as well.
The packing of shrimp from aquaculture origin has overpassed the quantity of ocean caught wild shrimp in recent years. Both origins, ocean caught and aquaculture, are subject to weather changes and diseases.
By 2004, global production of L. vannamei approached 1,116,000 t, and exceeded that of Penaeus monodon.[3]
Weather effect[]
Normally, there are peaks of production during the warm El Niño years, and reduced production during the cooler La Niña years. The effect is on ocean caught as well as on aquaculture origin.
Diseases[]
There are several known diseases.[3] Production of L. vannamei is limited by its susceptibility to white spot syndrome, Taura syndrome, infectious hypodermal and haematopoietic necrosis, , and Vibrio infections.[3]
Impact on Nature[]
In 2010, Greenpeace International added the whiteleg shrimp to its seafood red list. This lists fish that are commonly sold in supermarkets around the world, and which have a very high risk of being sourced from unsustainable fisheries.[4] The reasons given by Greenpeace were "destruction of vast areas of mangroves in several countries, overfishing of juvenile shrimp from the wild to supply shrimp farms, and significant human rights abuses".[4] Whiteleg shrimp, Penaeus vannamei, production was 53% of the total production of farmed crustaceans in 2016 globally.[5]
As in many industries, entities that certify different aspects of the shrimp operations developed to make sure issues like sustainability, fair trade, social responsibility, and others were properly managed. Responsible producers, traders, and marketplaces adopt this certifications in order to differentiate themselves.
See also[]
- Penaeus monodon, the giant tiger prawn
- Macrobrachium rosenbergii, the giant freshwater prawn
- Pandalus borealis, Canadian Northern Prawns
References[]
- ^ "Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "Penaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931)". Species Fact Sheets. Food and Agriculture Organization. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "Penaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931)". Cultured Aquatic Species Information Programme. Food and Agriculture Organization. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
- ^ a b Greenpeace International Seafood Red list
- ^ "World Review", The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018, The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, UN, 2018-07-23, pp. 1–83, doi:10.18356/eeca78e4-en, ISBN 9789210472340
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Litopenaeus vannamei. |
- Penaeidae
- Edible crustaceans
- Commercial crustaceans
- Crustaceans of the eastern Pacific Ocean
- Crustaceans described in 1931