The invention discloses a method for improving immunity in shrimps, by administering an extract of cocoa rind to a shrimp body to improve immunity of the shrimp body. The extract of cocoa rind is obtained by extracting a dried sample of cocoa rind by an aqueous ethanol solution with a concentration of ethanol being 90-98%. The dried sample of cocoa rind has a water content of 2-5%.

Provided is an aquacultured crustacean having improved umami, uses thereof, and a method for producing the same. The crustacean does not burrow in sand, contain glycine and alanine, and has 2400 mg or more of free amino acids per 100 g of abdominal muscle. The content of glycine is 550 mg or more per 100 g of abdominal muscle, and the content of alanine is 140 mg or more per 100 g of abdominal muscle.

The present invention provides a primary cell culture which combines a cell culture medium and cells derived from a hypertrophied androgenic gland (AG) of a decapod crustacean. The invention also provides methods for obtaining an all-female progeny by initially injecting/transplanting the primary cell culture to a genetic-female to obtain a male-Neo-male.

This disclosure describes exemplary embodiments of a method of creating a YY animal broodstock, preferably in a single generation, wherein the broodstock includes only sperm-producing YY males and egg-producing YY males, the method comprising the steps of: (a) creating YY males via androgenesis; (b) exposing selected ones of the YY males created in step (a) to a feminizing hormone; and (c) identifying sperm-producing YY males and egg-producing YY males from among the YY males created in steps (a) and (b). In other embodiments, the method further comprises: (d) repeating steps (a) through (c) N times in order to produce N unrelated families of sperm-producing YY males and egg-producing YY males; and (e) cross-breeding various ones of the unrelated families produced in step (d) in order to produce a genetically-diverse YY progeny. In some embodiments, N may be about 60.

The present invention provides a primary cell culture which combines a cell culture medium and cells derived from a hypertrophied androgenic gland (AG) of a decapod crustacean. The invention also provides methods for obtaining an all-female progeny by initially injecting/transplanting the primary cell culture to a genetic-female to obtain a male-Neo-male.

This disclosure describes exemplary embodiments of a method of creating a YY animal broodstock, preferably in a single generation, wherein the broodstock includes only sperm-producing YY males and egg-producing YY males, the method comprising the steps of: (a) creating YY males via androgenesis; (b) exposing selected ones of the YY males created in step (a) to a feminizing hormone; and (c) identifying sperm-producing YY males and egg-producing YY males from among the YY males created in steps (a) and (b). In other embodiments, the method further comprises: (d) repeating steps (a) through (c) N times in order to produce N unrelated families of sperm-producing YY males and egg-producing YY males; and (e) cross-breeding various ones of the unrelated families produced in step (d) in order to produce a genetically-diverse YY progeny. In some embodiments, N may be about 60.

A method of producing a transgenic silkworm that spins bagworm silks and producing a large quantity of bagworm silks by transgenic technology is developed and provided. A gene encoding a modified bagworm Fib H and a transgenic silkworm in which the gene is introduced, wherein the gene is obtained by cloning a gene fragment encoding a bagworm Fib H-like polypeptide comprising a partial amino acid sequence of bagworm Fib H, and fusing the gene fragment to a gene fragment encoding silkworm-derived Fib H, are provided.

Aquaculture systems and methods are provided, as well as immunogenic compositions and methods of immunologically protecting bivalves against specified pathogens. Methods include inactivating specified pathogens using UV (ultraviolet) radiation, exposing invertebrates grown or to be grown in aquaculture to the specified UV-inactivated pathogens to enhance an immune reaction of the exposed invertebrates toward the specified pathogens, and growing the exposed invertebrates in aquaculture. For example, the methods were demonstrated to increase the immune response of oysters to ostreid herpesvirus 1 (OsHV-1) following their prior exposure to UV-inactivated OsHV-1.

A gene expression system is provided. The system comprises at least one coding sequence to be expressed in an organism, and at least one promoter operably linked thereto. It further comprises at least one splice control sequence which, in cooperation with a spliceosome, mediates alternative splicing of RNA transcripts of the coding sequence. The mediation of alternative splicing is in a sex-specific, stage-specific, germline-specific and tissue-specific manner.

The invention is an apparatus unit that adjusts the dispersion from a compartment to an aqueous solution in response to an independent variable such as an environmental factor, in order to optimize seeding, marking, warning or treatment. The compartment enables any selection of solids, liquids or gasses to be contained and mixed when ready for dispersion. A preferred embodiment is a solar powered pump, self-contained within a buoy over a shallow tidal pool, for the purpose of distributing seeds for marine vegetation under ideal conditions for propagation. The unit provides for sensing and measurement of the environment, then adapting the dispersion for optimum effect.