Efforts to cryopreserve shrimp (Penaeid) genetic resources and the potential for a shrimp germplasm bank in the United States

Authors: Haagen, Isaac; Blackburn, Harvey

Submitted to: Aquaculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/29/2023
Publication Date: 2/15/2024
Citation: Haagen, I.W., Blackburn, H.D. 2024. Efforts to cryopreserve shrimp (Penaeid) genetic resources and the potential for a shrimp germplasm bank in the United States. Aquaculture. 580. Article e740298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2023.740298.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2023.740298

Interpretive Summary: Key shrimp breeding companies are located in the U.S. and ship genetically improved shrimp globally to producers. However, these valuable genetic resources are not backed up in USDA's gene bank. Developing repository collections of shrimp genetic resources requires cryopreservation protocol development, developing collection goals and outlining how cryopreserved germplasm can be used to reconstitute populations of interest. This paper details our status of knowledge about cryopreservation protocols and the use of germplasm to reconstitute populations. Using the information developed gene banks now have collection targets which can be used in backing up critical shrimp populations.

Technical Abstract: Shrimp are an important global protein source and the most consumed seafood in the United States. Despite the importance of shrimp to the United States and global food productions, genetic diversity and germplasm preservation has not received critical attention. At this time, shrimp genetic resources have not been added to the National Animal Germplasm Repository in the United States. Here we summarize the importance of shrimp to U.S. and global food production and describe the need for shrimp germplasm cryopreservation. We also describe past and current research efforts to cryopreserve shrimp germplasm in the forms of embryos, larvae, and spermatophores. While early work has focused on protocol development, these protocols have not been successfully implemented on a commercial scale. It has also not been documented that cryopreserved larvae can reach reproductive maturity. Therefore, additional research and stakeholder efforts are needed to develop and validate larval cryopreservation methods capable of producing larvae reaching reproductive maturity. Finally, we discuss the necessary material needed to establish a shrimp germplasm collection in the national repository. We describe the numbers of larvae or families needed to reconstitute a breeding population given varying levels of cryopreservation success. Early work relating to shrimp germplasm cryopreservation is laying the foundation for the successful cryopreservation of larvae and spermatophores as well as the establishment of a national germplasm bank for shrimp larvae within the United States.