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Yathish Ramena, Frank Martorana, Thomas Bosteels, Kala Mallik, Vikas Kumar, Grace Ramena | December 2022 | World Aquaculture Society

With increased production, Litopenaeus vanname has a number of obstacles, with a greater emphasis on larval and postlarval rearing. There are, however, very few studies attempting to understand the post-larval nursery phase of L.vannamei, despite the fact that these stages undergo a complex growth metamorphosis during development as a common feature of penaeids. The purpose of this study is to comprehend the impact of Artemia as a co-feed during the post-larval nursery phase when using either a premium nutrient-dense, Makay Marine MP feed or a budget friendly nutrient-low, Shrimp feed dietary options.

While Artemia is acknowledged as one of the best live foods during the larval and post-larval stages of L. vannamei, it is still unclear how it affects growth and health parameters during the post-larval to nursery phases. This research trial assesses three different Artemia inclusion levels, along with a premium high dense and budget friendly low-dense diet, in L. vannamei reared from post-larvae 12 to 25. A completely randomized design was implemented with six treatments and eight tanks per treatment. Each tank was initially stocked with 200 post-larvae. A combination of two particle feeds and three Artemia co-feeding levels (Table 1) were administered throughout the trial. All the dietary treatments were supplemented with one ppm of commercial probiotics at 500 billion CFU/g before the trial started to evaluate the effect of bacterial colonization in the gut of post-larvae at the trial conclusion through the gut microbiome. At trial conclusion, survival (%), mean body weight (g) and proximate, amino, and fatty acids in the shrimp whole body were evaluated. In addition, the gut microbiome was assessed. Relative sequence abundance of lactobacillus associated with the MP group and economy groups were analyzed.

Dietary intervention had no discernible impact on the mean body length proximate amino acid and fatty acid composition of post-larvac. Nevertheless, the shrimp tanks fed Artemia showed a higher average weight gain and survival as compared to tanks without Artemia co-feeding. A premium diet improved overall growth and survival as compared to a budget friendly diet, albeit not significantly for every treatment. The Makay Marine MP diet appeared to function as a prebiotic substrate by improving lactobacillus colonization in the gut of L. vannamei at PL25 with just a minimal single probiotic dosage (1ppm), which may have contributed to the improved growth and health indices obtained with the premium diet.

In general, the use of a premium diet in combination with co-feeding of 3kg of Artemia per million PL produced resulted in optimal survival and growth of the PL. To obtains similar results for weight gain with a budget friendly diet, inclusion rates of Artemia needed to be increased to a co-feeding level of 6 kg per million PL produced.

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Book of Abstracts: Abstract – page 577

Yathish Ramena | June 2023 | World Aquaculture Society

This study aimed to determine the optimal co-feeding combination for the early larval and post-larval stages of Litopenaeus vannamei (Pacific white shrimp) by investigating the effects of different inclusion levels of Artemia nauplii (Instar I) co-fed with two commercial microparticulate diets. Two independent larval experiments were conducted, and the performance of L. vannamei postlarvae was evaluated in terms of survival, growth, specific growth rate (MGR), osmotic stress tolerance, fatty acid and amino acid composition, and whole-body composition.

The results showed that increasing Artemia inclusion levels significantly improved survival during the hatchery cycle through PL15, with benefits observed at inclusion levels up to 5,900 g of Artemia per million L. vannamei postlarvae produced. Survival rates further improved with increased Artemia inclusion during the extended nursery stage through PL35. However, biochemical analysis did not provide a clear explanation for the enhanced survival rates. Additional research is required to fully understand the underlying mechanisms responsible for the observed improvements. These findings contribute to our understanding of co-feeding strategies for L. vannamei postlarvae and emphasize the importance of further investigation in this area.

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Yathish Ramena PhD | September 2024 | First International Artemia Aquaculture Consortium Conference | LARVI Conference – Ostend, Belgium

This study evaluated the effects of increasing Artemia inclusion levels in co-feeding strategies for Litopenaeus vannamei (Pacific white shrimp) during hatchery and nursery production. Two independent larval trials compared different levels of Artemia nauplii (Instar I) co-fed with commercial microparticulate diets. Shrimp performance was evaluated based on survival, growth, stress tolerance, and biochemical composition to determine how Artemia inclusion influences postlarval development and production outcomes.

Increasing Artemia inclusion significantly improved shrimp survival through the hatchery cycle, with benefits observed at levels up to approximately 5.9 kg of Artemia per million postlarvae produced. Improved survival associated with higher Artemia inclusion continued during the extended nursery period, demonstrating benefits beyond the initial hatchery stage. Although biochemical analyses did not fully explain the mechanisms responsible for these improvements, the findings support increased Artemia inclusion as an effective co-feeding strategy for improving L. vannamei postlarval survival and performance.

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Robins McIntosh, Wisurut Jungpring, Sudharma Choosuk | September 2024 | First International Artemia Aquaculture Consortium Conference

A summary of the presentation “Reduction in Artemia nauplii fed to shrimp larvae: Does this result in a reduction of larvae cost at the expense of an increase in farm cost” is available from the link below. The presentation was given by Robins McIntosh at Larvi 2024 (9-12 September) in Ostend, Belgium. The presentation is authored by Robins McIntosh, Wisurut Jungprung and Sudharma Choosuk.

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Thomas Bosteels | June 2025 | WAS – World Bank Artemia Summit, Entebbe, Uganda

As global aquaculture continues to expand, Artemia remains an essential live feed supporting the production of marine fish and shrimp. More than 11 million metric tons of aquaculture production—representing over 900 billion fry—rely on Artemia. Beyond its nutritional value, Artemia is highly digestible, can be nutritionally enriched, and may contribute to improved survival, growth, and stress resistance. Research with Litopenaeus vannamei further demonstrates the importance of optimizing Artemia inclusion throughout hatchery, nursery, and grow-out production.

Meeting the future demand for Artemia will require both sustainable management of natural resources and increased man-made production. More than 25 years of sustainable harvest management at the Great Salt Lake has helped stabilize its Artemia population and cyst production; however, natural Artemia resources worldwide are approaching or may already have reached their maximum carrying capacity. Continued aquaculture growth will therefore depend on optimizing sustainably managed natural resources while expanding man-made Artemia production to provide a reliable supply for the global aquaculture industry.

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Phil Brown, Thomas Bosteels, Yathish Ramena, Nguyen Van Hoa, Chau Tai Tao, Ravinder Singha, Frank Martorana, Mohamed Mohamed  | November 2025 | WAS – World Bank Artemia Summit, Hyderabad, India

Artemia nauplii are a foundational and essential component of larval and post-larval penaid shrimp production due to the favorable nutritional profile, digestibility, and free-swimming behavior. Partial replacement of Artemia nauplii with formulated feeds has been successful at reducing Artemia use rates, but attempts at complete replacement have led to nearly universally poor outcomes despite years of concentrated effort. The numerous inherent benefits of Artemia have remained distinct and irreplaceable, and improved shrimp survival and health is possible by increasing Artemia feeding rates above the levels currently in use in many areas.

Multiple trials were conducted over a multi-year period to examine the effects of increased feeding rates of Artemia nauplii on the survival and condition of whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei). The trials occurred at multiple scales, from university experiments to commercial field trials, and across multiple global regions. Initial university trials found significantly improved survival with increased Artemia use rates through both the hatchery (PL15) and nursery (PL25) phases, as well as increased heat shock protein expression. Follow-up commercial-scale field trials resulted in higher survival, growth, and stress tolerance, and increased pond production in Mexico. A university-led experiment at the hatchery scale in Vietnam found significantly higher survival and much larger animal size at PL12. Commercial hatchery trials in Ecuador also resulted in higher survival and growth by PL12, and the potential for earlier harvesting. Taken together, these results demonstrate a substantial net benefit from greater Artemia use which could lead to improved revenue for hatchery and nursery operators

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Patipon Srianek, Bunjonk Nissapawanis, Thomas Bosteels | November 2025 | WAS – World Bank Artemia Summit, Hyderabad, India

Two novel applications of Artemia in aquaculture—the production of live Artemia nauplii paste and live Artemia biomass using a Natural Recirculating Aquaculture System (NRAS)—provide disease-free live feeds for shrimp hatcheries and nurseries while optimizing and supplementing the use of Artemia cysts harvested from natural habitats. Specialized Artemia hatcheries produce pure, disease-free nauplii with survival exceeding 95% and can generate 99% Instar I nauplii from various Artemia species or strains, including A. franciscana from Great Salt Lake. Enriched Instar II nauplii can also be produced for applications requiring enhanced nutritional profiles.

Live Artemia biomass produced in NRAS consists primarily of juvenile and adult Artemia and provides a pathogen-free live feed for juvenile shrimp and broodstock. Together, these production methods complement naturally harvested Artemia resources while supporting improved biosecurity and more efficient use of Artemia cysts. Disease-free nauplii paste can help reduce disease-related losses during larval and early post-larval stages, while live Artemia biomass provides an alternative live feed during later hatchery and nursery phases, supporting the production of more robust juveniles and improved yields during subsequent shrimp grow-out.

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Erik Van Ballaer, Phil Brown | 2026 | IWAN Conference, Chennai, India

This presentation examines the role of live Artemia in shrimp production and summarizes university and commercial-scale trials evaluating the effects of increased Artemia inclusion during hatchery, nursery, and grow-out stages. University trials with Litopenaeus vannamei demonstrated that increasing Artemia use significantly improved hatchery survival, with benefits peaking at approximately 6 kg per million postlarvae (PL) produced. Nursery trials also showed significant improvements in survival, growth, and biomass with increased Artemia inclusion. Commercial trials in Ecuador, Mexico, and Vietnam further demonstrated improvements in postlarval survival, size, growth rate, and production when higher levels of Artemia were incorporated into feeding programs.

The results indicate that the benefits of increased Artemia use can extend beyond the hatchery and nursery stages into grow-out, suggesting a potential legacy effect that contributes to improved pond survival, growth, and production. Preliminary research also indicates a positive relationship between increased Artemia feeding and the expression of heat shock proteins HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90, which may help explain enhanced cellular protection and stress response. Overall, the findings support optimizing Artemia inclusion throughout early shrimp production to improve performance and subsequent grow-out yields, while highlighting heat shock proteins, immune response, stress tolerance, and economic return as areas for further research.

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Phil Brown, Yathish Ramena, Thomas Bosteels, Nguyen Van Hoa, Chau Tai Tao, Mohamed Mohamed | March 2026 | AquaExpo 2026, Santa Elena, Ecuador

This presentation summarizes a series of research and commercial trials evaluating the effects of increased Artemia inclusion on Litopenaeus vannamei performance across hatchery, nursery, and grow-out production. University trials demonstrated that increasing Artemia use significantly improved hatchery survival through PL15, with benefits peaking at approximately 6 kg per million postlarvae produced. Nursery trials showed additional improvements in survival, growth, and biomass, while commercial trials in Ecuador and Vietnam confirmed many of these benefits at production scale. In Vietnam, increased Artemia during hatchery and nursery resulted in 27% higher hatchery survival, 83.5% greater PL weight, and 133% greater harvested biomass per tank at PL12.

Importantly, the benefits of increased Artemia inclusion persisted beyond the early production stages, indicating a potential legacy effect through grow-out. In the Vietnam trial, shrimp receiving higher Artemia levels during hatchery and nursery were 42% larger at harvest and produced 50% more biomass per unit area, despite receiving no additional Artemia during grow-out. Commercial trials in Ecuador similarly demonstrated improved survival and faster growth, allowing harvest two to three days earlier in higher-Artemia treatments. Preliminary research also suggests increased Artemia feeding may influence HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90 expression, potentially contributing to improved cellular protection and stress response. Overall, the trials support optimizing Artemia inclusion during early shrimp production to improve performance and potentially increase economic returns throughout the production cycle.

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Erik Van Ballaer, Phil Brown, Thomas Bosteels, Yathish Ramena, Nguyen Van Hoa, Chau Tai Tao, Mohemed Mohamed | June 2026 | World Aquaculture Society, Singapore

Approximately 4,000 tons of Artemia cysts are used annually to support the production of more than 900 billion crustacean and fish juveniles. However, a significant portion of this resource is lost through inefficient hatching, handling, and feeding practices. Operator training in proper hatching, separation, and storage can improve efficiency, while supplying pre-hatched live Artemia nauplii offers an additional approach to maximizing cyst utilization. Originally developed in rudimentary form by backyard shrimp hatcheries in Thailand and China, this concept has evolved into today’s specialized Live Artemia Nauplii Centers.

Further optimization of Artemia use includes enrichment strategies to enhance nutritional value, biosecure production of ongrown Artemia meta-nauplii for hatchery and nursery applications, and controlled production of Artemia biomass. Together, these approaches improve the efficiency and versatility of Artemia as a feed resource while retaining the inherent benefits of providing live feed. Combining live Artemia with controlled ongrowing and enrichment can further enhance its nutritional and functional value for aquaculture production.

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Erik Van Ballaer, Patipon Srianek, Bunjonk Nissagavanich, Thomas Bosteels | June 2026 | World Aquaculture Society, Singapore

This presentation explores strategies to improve the sustainability and efficiency of Artemia use in shrimp and fish production. With Artemia serving as an essential live feed in marine aquaculture, optimizing the use of available cyst resources is increasingly important as global aquaculture production expands. The presentation focuses on approaches designed to maximize the value obtained from Artemia, including improved hatching and handling practices, specialized production of live nauplii, and other methods that reduce losses while maintaining the nutritional and functional benefits associated with live Artemia.

These developments support a broader strategy of obtaining greater aquaculture productivity from existing Artemia resources while complementing naturally harvested cyst supplies with more efficient production and delivery systems. The presentation emphasizes that sustainable Artemia utilization involves not only protecting and expanding supply, but also improving how Artemia is produced and used throughout hatchery and nursery operations. Together, these approaches can help provide a more reliable and efficient live-feed resource to support the continued growth of global shrimp and fish production.

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