ORGAN INDICES AND BIOCHEMICAL LEVELS OF OVA FROM PENAEID SHRIMP MAINTAINED IN CAPTIVITY VERSUS THOSE CAPTURED IN THE WILD

This paper characterizes further penaeid shrimp reproduction by reporting: (1) the gonad, hepatopancreas, tail and eyestalk indices for unablated and unilateral ablated penaeid shrimp (P. setiferus) maintained in captivity versus shrimp captured in the wild; and (2) the biochemical content of spawned ova from three species of penaeid shrimp (P. setiferus, P. stylirostris and P. vannamei) obtained from wild populations and one species (P. setiferus) matured and spawned in captivity. The data indicated that (1) the dietary and environmental regimen used in this study is not optimum for reproduction of P. setiferus in captivity; (2) the hepatopancreas but not the tail muscle is directly involved in penaeid reproduction; (3) the population of P. setiferus sampled on June 2 and July 22, 1978, in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico was not at its reproductive peak; (4) the percent protein, lipid and carbohydrate content of unhatched eggs of P. setiferus, P. stylirostris and P. vannamei are very similar; and (5) biochemical analysis of the unhatched eggs and the determination of organ indices during reproduction are important parameters to obtain for understanding and evaluating penaeid reproduction in the wild and in captivity.