Saturday, July 3, 2010

  Most perfect prawn - world record set by CSIRO
 SYDNEY, Australia -- After 10 years of careful breeding and research, scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the prawn industry have bred an improved Black Tiger prawn which have won five gold medals at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in the past two years, including Champion of Show, the highest award possible - setting the world record for the Most perfect prawn.

   (enlarge photo)

   Scientists from CSIRO's Food Futures Flagship used DNA technology to guarantee the breeding programme includes the best black tiger prawn stocks and boosts their performance each breeding season.

  CSIRO's development partner, Marine Aquaculture, has this year achieved average yields of 17.5 tonnes per hectare - more than double the industry average. Several ponds produced 20 tonnes per hectare, and one a world-record yield of 24.2 tonnes per hectare.

   Research chief Nigel Preston said the 'World's Most perfect Prawn' would grow well in the Top End. "Northern Australia is absolutely perfect," he said. The original stock for the program came from the Gulf of Carpentaria.

   Dr Preston said developing an Australian prawn that breeds in captivity was "completely sustainable" and was a "major gain" for the industry and the consumer. He said the "huge yields" could be replicated "year after year".

   The scientist said that if the rest of Australian aquaculturists adopted the new breeding technology, the nation's production could increase from 5000 tonnes per year to 12,500 tonnes, adding $120 million annually to the value of the industry by 2020.

    Marine Aquaculture manager Nick Moore said: "Not only have we achieved national and international yield records with no reduction in quality or taste, these prawns are grown in a specially designed, environmentally sustainable production system.

     "This production system and the new breeds have produced a perfect prawn with beautifully textured meat, a rich colour, robust size and a great taste."

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   Related world records:
   Largest genetically engineered trout - Sean Konrad  

   First synthetic life form - J. Craig Venter Institute

  Biggest scientific project -The Large Hadron Collider Project

  Largest periodic table of elements - Fossil Ridge students

  Longest Pi Chain - Qatar International School

   Longest model of a DNA gene - Huddersfield University

   Saturday, July 3, 2010