Improving performance through sentinel sites

Sentinel sites are used to measure the performance of our genetics within the typical conditions of a commercial farm. These sites are very important in analyzing how our products will perform under local conditions of our customers. This can include varying culture systems, disease pressures, and water quality parameters, such as salinity and temperature.

With these sentinel populations, we can compare which genetics are more robust when exposed to challenges. We can then collect real time data on various traits related to robustness and survival and then feed this information back to our breeding program.

We are working closely with one of the leading shrimp companies in India to operate these sentinel sites. At this stage, we have sent out postlarvae to commercial ponds throughout several different production regions in India, and the first ponds are set to be sampled in July.

In Indonesia, sentinel broodstock is scheduled to arrive early Q3, upon which they will be acclimated and prepared for reproduction. Their offspring, that will be stocked under Indonesian production conditions, will generate data that will be fed into our breeding program.

By gathering this data from sentinel sites over an extended amount of time, customers will receive shrimp that are adapted to their conditions. These shrimp are more robust and better able to withstand environmental challenges. As conditions or product needs change, our product will continue to be selected for performance under these new conditions, including climate change, new and changing disease issues, and evolving production practices.

Investment in these sentinel sites is a long-term commitment to selecting for the specific needs and conditions of our customers all over the world. This is just one of the many initiatives in our R&D program to deliver high-performing products for our customers. Another example is our ongoing effort to improve survival under exposure to a specific pathogen, such as the disease challenges we are running on AHPND, also known as EMS (Early Mortality Syndrome). Additionally, a similar type of challenge is underway with controlled and extreme EHP pressure.

Sentinel sites play a crucial role in evaluating the performance of our shrimp genetics under the real conditions of our customers. With our focus and investment in R&D, we remain committed to setting our customers up for success and contributing to a more sustainable future.