The cultivation of “sugpo” (jumbo tiger shrimp), Penaeus monodon Fabricius, has become an important and lucrative undertaking in estuarine fishponds. In the Philippines, juveniles of this species rank next to Chanos fry in market demand and value compared with other salt water stocking material. Sugpo are caught in almost all places where Chanos fry are collected but they appear at a somewhat later period.
Among the species of commercial shrimps of the genus Penaeus, P. monodon is the most highly esteemed by the consumers. Being considered a table delicacy it commands the best price whenever present in local markets. A kilogram of marketable sugpo costs from five to eight pesos, whereas other shrimps like the “hipong-suahe” (Penaeus canalicidatus), “hipong-puti” (Penaeus indicus) and “hipong-culot” (Penaeus sp.) cost from two pesos 2 to five pesos per kilogram.
Shrimps, when present in fishponds in addition to the cultivated species, are found to be harmless to the main crop of cultivated milkfish. Further, they provide an additional income to the culturist. Hence, it is that sugpo are deliberately gathered and stocked in the ponds to be grown to a marketable size.
The production of Penaeus in estuarine fishponds in the Philippines resulting from the normal shrimp population that enter the pond during the cultivation period is estimated to range from 50 to 200 kilograms per hectare per year. If, however, in addition to this normal stock, sugpo fry is introduced into the ponds, shrimp production per hectare per year may be raised to 500 kilograms of which about 70 per cent may consist of P. monodon.