Stock Characteristics of Macrobrachium vollenhovenii (Herklots, 1857)

Freshwater prawn aquaculture is not popular in West Africa, subject to low level of scientific and technical know-how on the subjects of its ecology, biology, genetics and its production techniques. However, in order to bridge the gap in the scientific knowledge needed for sustainable development of it commercial farming, this book project was initiated. The authors researched and summarized the stock characteristics of two wild populations of M. vollenhovenii (Herklots, 1857) around two geographically distant and unconnected rivers in West Africa and discovered that M. vollenhovenii though ecologically diverse, are not morphologically and genetically different within the two stocks. Other inferences drawn from their genetic diversity suggested good level of adaptation, long term survival, ability to resist disease, fast growth and high reproduction rates by these two wild populations. These results emphasized that specimens from the two stocks have high cultivability potentials. This book was however, written for the enhancement of the body of knowledge; to encourage translocation and domestication efforts, even commercial culture of M. vollenhovenii in West Africa.