Shrimp larviculture and nutrition: current knowledge gaps and future directions

Penaeid shrimp larviculture is a critical yet insufficiently understood phase of aquaculture, with major implications for postlarval (PL) quality and downstream performance. Despite advances in grow-out nutrition, larval feeding still relies largely on empirical practices that do not reflect rapid developmental changes. Key knowledge gaps include stage-specific nutrient requirements, protein quality and digestibility, lipid functionality, and the role of live feeds such as Artemia. Nutrition also interacts closely with microbial dynamics and hatchery management, affecting system stability and larval robustness. Current approaches often prioritize short-term hatchery outputs while overlooking long-term grow-out performance. Progress requires a shift toward stage-specific, function-oriented nutrition and better integration with microbial management to improve consistency, resilience, and efficiency in shrimp production systems.