Two new strains of white shrimp have been developed to strengthen Thailand’s aquaculture industry, according to the Department of Fisheries, local news reported.

The new strains – Petchada 1, a fast-growing genotype, and Sida 1, a disease-resistant genotype – will help keep the domestic shrimp-farming industry secure, said Praphan Leepayakul, the department’s deputy chief. The department has worked with the Agricultural Research Development Agency to revive shrimp farm numbers that have been in decline since 2012 due to the outbreak of Early Mortality Syndrome.

The new strains were developed using selective breeding and molecular genetic marker methods. To evaluate genetic diversity and study disease-free DNA, the team selected various strains of Pacific white shrimp from the United States, Guam and Thailand. Shrimp were fed in a biosecure system to assess their growth capacity and genetic diversity and results showed that Thailand’s domestic strains were the best as a base population.

The Petchada 1 breeder was developed at the Genetic Aqua-Animal Research and Development Centre in Phetchaburi province. It has high growth potential when compared with shrimp from other sources. The Sida 1 breeder, which comes from the Genetic Aqua-Animal Research and Development Centre in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, has the highest EMS-AHPND survival rate, compared to its counterparts.

“It is still under the development process,” said Praphan. “The next step is to test it on a commercial scale. We hope that it will be a significant step towards a sustainable shrimp industry by reducing losses among shrimp farmers.”