Monitoring methods of feeding behaviour to answer key questions in penaeid shrimp feeding

Abstract

The penaeid shrimp farming industry is a fast-growing sector which continues to suffer from significant feeding inefficiencies. Shrimp are slow to feed on pellets, with consumption dependent on a wide range of environmental and physiological parameters. Feed management on farms remains mainly based on feeding trays which can be difficult to observe and often result in overfeeding. While our understanding of shrimp feeding behaviour is beginning to improve under laboratory conditions, much less is known about shrimp behaviour in production ponds. Consequently, there is a growing interest within the industry to improve observations of shrimp feeding behaviour in situ, although this can be difficult due to high water turbidity and the benthic nature of shrimp. This review identifies key questions that remain unanswered in relation to shrimp feeding behaviour under commercial aquaculture conditions, and considers how they could be addressed using state-of-the-art applications based on three technologies commonly used in other areas of aquaculture. The use of passive acoustics, computer vision and telemetry are highlighted, alongside their potential to help farmers achieve better feeding efficiencies and sustainability as well as to help understand shrimp feeding behaviour in relation to various biotic and abiotic parameters.