This research travel grant allowed Seafood CRC PhD student, Daniel Pountney to travel to Thailand and Arizona to investigate current research and industry practices in regards to prawn aquaculture.

The initial travel involved a visit Bunjonk shrimp hatchery which is located in the Chachoengsao province of Thailand. The author was able to tour the farm and speak with Mrs Bunjonk who has been involved with growing shrimp for approximately 20 years. Their success is from stringent biosecurity measures within the hatchery and production of disease resistant P. monodon stocks from selectively bred broodstock. Whilst in Thailand, the author visited the Shrimp Biotechnology Business Unit (SBBU). SBBU is a government facility where they specialise in contract research for business, shrimp farmers, feed manufacturers and biotechnology laboratories. SBBU is equipped with large tank recirculation systems and functional molecular and microbiology laboratories for analysing samples.

The second part of the trip involved participation in the 2011 Shrimp Pathology Short Course which was run at the University of Arizona, Department of Microbiology and Veterinary Science and Microbiology in Tucson. The course involved structured lectures on viral, bacterial, parasitic, and nutritional diseases which affect cultured prawns and crab species worldwide and laboratory practicals in disease diagnostic methods.

This trip allowed the author to increase knowledge in the field of prawn disease using the most current methods to detect diseases and may be used in future research. New skills and methods were acquired for research including, molecular biology, bacteriological assays, histopathology and sampling techniques.