MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY FOR THE HATCHERY, NURSERY, AND GROW-OUT PHASES OF FRESHWATER PRAWN SPECIES WITH POTENTIAL IN AQUACULTURE

The "Rede Nacional de Carcinicultura" RECARCINA was created to develop scientific research projects, technology, and innovation in the crustacean production industry. Representatives from the Federal Universities of Rio Grande do Norte, Alagoas, Bahia, and Paraná formed a union to strengthen the production of freshwater prawns from the genus Macrobrachium. The M. amazonicum has an important social role by being a source of livelihood for coastal communities in the Northeast region of Brazil. The Macrobrachium carcinus shows a significant growth rate and a meat with a high market value. However, this animal has experienced severe overfishing and is now on the endangered species list in the country. Another problem is that despite the freshwater prawns being heavily studied in the twentieth century, the production technology has not been dominated. The Macrobrachium rosenbergii is an exotic species that has been produced in Brazil since the end of the twentieth century. This species presents commercial production on a larger scale concentrated in the southeastern region of Brazil. The production of the M. rosenbergii in polyculture has been strongly carried out in this region, which is increasing the indices of production. The Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte has been carrying out work with juveniles reared in recirculation systems and tanks to evaluate densities and feed frequency. Other projects at this campus involve the brood stock and hatcheries of M. carcinus, amazonicum and rosenbergii. The Federal University of Paraná has been developing actions with rural producers that focus on the production of M. rosenbergii in polyculture and monoculture systems. The purpose is to strengthen the production and the marketing of the species in this region. The Federal Universities of Recôncavo, of Bahia, and of Alagoas have been strengthening the hatchery production of the M. carcinus and amazonicum by developing techniques of nutrition, density, and salinity. From this context, techniques that increase the productivity of the larvae of these species in ideal production conditions are being developed, which in turn minimizes operating costs. The projects to be developed by the universities can generate beneficial results regarding the choice and use of the native freshwater prawn species for production, since these species are a source of livelihood for coastal communities in northeastern Brazil, in addition to strengthening the production chain of exotic or native freshwater prawns.