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Robins Macintosh, the executive vice-president of Charoen Pokphand Foods and CEO of Homegrown Shrimp, contends that in a well-managed shrimp farm, fast-growing shrimp lines are hard to beat.

He argues against the widespread belief that strains selected purely for growth are always likely to have lower rates of survival, citing Homegrown’s Bolt line, which improved one RAS producer’s farming performance dramatically.

Despite some farmers showing that fast-growing shrimp can be successful, there is growing scepticism about such lines and their ability to withstand disease challenges.

Macintosh recalls that when early mortality syndrome first emerged in 2010, 2011 and 2012, fast-growing shrimp got the name of ‘fast grow, fast die’, and there was a growing scepticism about such lines, particularly relating to their ability to withstand disease challenges.

He believes that genetics is important, but pond management is equally important, and that taking care of the organic waste is crucial in shrimp farming.