Dr. Marcy N. Wilder, Project Leader of the Fisheries Division received the Japanese Society of Fisheries Science Award for 2021 in recognition of her outstanding achievements relating to biochemical/physiological research on mechanisms of reproduction, molting, and osmoregulation in commercially-important shrimp species and the development of new aquaculture technology.

This award is given to researchers who have made outstanding achievements in academic research and have contributed to the development of Fisheries Science. The award was presented on March 28, 2021.

In order to stabilize the shrimp aquaculture industry, Dr. Wilder has conducted physiological and biochemical research on shrimp and applied research on the development of aquaculture technology for more than 30 years, leading to the practical application of knowledge gained from basic studies to the improvement of the aquaculture industry.

In recent years, shrimp farming has become a major industry worldwide, but there are many factors that impede its sustainability. To address these issues, Dr. Wilder has so far succeeded in (1) elucidating the reproductive mechanisms of shrimp and developing technology for controlling the maturation of female parent shrimp, (2) clarifying the osmoregulatory mechanisms of freshwater prawn species and developing shrimp production technology in Vietnam, and (3) developing an innovative closed, land-based aquaculture system known as the Indoor Shrimp Production System (ISPS) for the whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei.

In particular, Dr. Wilder was instrumental in establishing an industry-academia-government research consortium with the private sector in order to develop the above ISPS technology. This technology enables the production of whiteleg shrimp under conditions almost similar to freshwater; this has made it possible to both reduce production costs and simplify the work-flow process. Using the results of this collaborative research, this consortium has succeeded in establishing Japan’s first commercial land-based shrimp production facility, now currently operating in Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture.

The award was in recognition of Dr. Wilder’s achievements in developing and transferring useful new aquaculture technology which have received much recognition in terms of international research and social contributions.