Evaluation of Copepods as an Alternative Feeding Strategy in Semi-Intensive Culture of Pacific White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

Nurhudah, Moch and Rahayu, Tubagus Haeru and Yanti, Luh Krisna Weda and Rahardjo, Sinung and Nuraini, Yenni and Marlina, Erni and Margono, M. and Umidayati, U. and Kiswanto, Arie and Abrori, Mohsan and Fitriadi, Ren and Ihtifazhuddin, Muhammad Ikhwan (2026) Evaluation of Copepods as an Alternative Feeding Strategy in Semi-Intensive Culture of Pacific White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). World's Veterinary Journal. 1 - 20. ISSN 23224568

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Abstract

Indonesia is the fourth-largest global shrimp exporter but faces higher production costs than Ecuador. Using copepods in semi-intensive farming offers a potential solution, as their high content of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) can enhance shrimp growth and efficiency. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of copepods as a live-feed supplement on growth and feed efficiency of vannamei shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) in the semi-intensive culture. A completely randomized design was established with three treatment groups and three replications. A total of 315 post-larvae Litopenaeus vannamei were kept at a density of 35 shrimp per tank, with each tank measuring 1.3 �1.3 �0.73 m³ during a 50-day cultivation period. The treatment groups included a commercial feed-only control group (P1), a commercial feed with copepods inclusion (P2), and a copepods-only group (P3). The growth (absolute daily growth, absolute body weight, absolute weight/length), feed efficiency, hepatopancreas histopathology, proximate composition, and water quality (temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, alkalinity, total ammonia nitrogen, total organic matter, total bacteria count, total vibrio count) were assessed. The current results indicated that P2 achieved the highest growth performance among the treatment groups. Furthermore, P2 provided higher nutritional value for protein and fat than P1 and P3, showing the healthiest tissue structure, mild atrophy, and sloughing, with the lowest hemocyte infiltration, supporting improved epithelial health. Water quality remained within or approximately within the recommended ranges. Therefore, combining copepods with commercial feed improved growth, survival, and feed efficiency compared with using either copepods or commercial feed alone. © The Author(s) 2026 Open Access: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Copepod; Shrimp growth; Vanname shrimp; Water quality
Subjects:	S Agriculture > SF Animal culture
Divisions:	World's Veterinary Journal (WVJ)
Page Range:	1 - 20
Journal or Publication Title:	World's Veterinary Journal
Journal Index:	Scopus
Volume:	16
Number:	1
Publisher:	Scienceline Publication
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.54203/scil.2026.wvj1
ISSN:	23224568
Depositing User:	Dr. Alireza Sadeghi
URI:	https://eprints.science-line.com/id/eprint/1727

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