14/08/2026
𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘂𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆
Most people would not expect a scientific breakthrough to emerge from pond mud. But in 2017, a routine culture experiment at SEAFDEC/AQD in Iloilo took an unexpected turn.
Then researcher Dr. Mary Anne Mandario stocked culture tanks with jelly cocoons, the egg capsules of mudworms, and expected little more than another round of observations.
Instead, the worms multiplied far beyond what Dr. Mandario (now a scientist as of this writing) expected.
The dramatic increase caught her attention. More intriguing, however, was the appearance of two distinct polychaete species. One appeared familiar. The other did not resemble any species she could identify.
Rather than dismissing the anomaly, Dr. Mandario pursued it.
Specimens were sent to Dr. Christopher Glasby, a polychaete taxonomist at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in Australia, for detailed morphological and molecular analyses. The results confirmed that one worm belonged to the family Nereididae. The other represented a species previously unknown to science.
In 2019, Dr. Mandario and five co-authors formally described the new species in 𝘡𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘹𝘢. It was subsequently listed in the World Register of Marine Species as 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘢 𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴, named after Iloilo, where the specimens had been collected.
For many scientists, discovering a new species would be the culmination of years of research.
For Dr. Mandario and her colleagues, it marked the beginning of a much bigger story.
As researchers continued studying 𝘔. 𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴, they discovered that the worm possessed characteristics that could help address long-standing challenges in shrimp aquaculture.
𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗺
Shrimp hatcheries have long depended on live marine worms to feed broodstock because they provide the protein, lipids, and essential fatty acids needed for ovarian maturation and egg production. Artificial feeds alone often cannot supply all of these nutritional requirements.
For decades, many hatcheries have relied on wild-caught polychaetes collected from estuaries and mudflats. While nutritionally effective, harvesting wild worms disturbs coastal habitats and increases the risk of introducing pathogenic bacteria, parasites, and viruses into hatchery systems.
𝘔. 𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 offered a promising alternative.
Unlike many commonly harvested polychaetes that spawn only once before dying, 𝘔. 𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴, a member of the family Eunicidae, reproduces repeatedly throughout its lifetime. In captivity, the worms reach sexual maturity within four to five months and can spawn multiple times from the same breeding population, making continuous culture possible.
The species also proved to have high nutritional value. During a 180-day grow-out trial, worms raised on bioflocs and feed mill sweepings contained about 64 percent protein and 13 percent fat—nutrient levels suitable for shrimp broodstock maturation.
𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝘂𝗽
The potential of 𝘔. 𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 extends beyond its value as live feed.
Aquaculture ponds naturally accumulate uneaten feed, shrimp f***s, and other organic wastes. As these materials settle, they can reduce oxygen levels in the sediment, contribute to unstable water quality, and increase ammonia concentrations.
Dr. Mandario found that 𝘔. 𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 helps address these problems through bioturbation. As the worms burrow through the pond bottom, they consume organic detritus, loosen compacted soil, redistribute nutrients, and improve oxygen movement. Their activity accelerates decomposition and reduces the buildup of organic matter.
Experimental systems containing 𝘔. 𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 showed cleaner sediments and lower organic loading, suggesting that the species could improve pond health while also serving as a nutritious live feed.
𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
The discovery of 𝘔. 𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 eventually led beyond species identification.
In March 2020, SEAFDEC/AQD filed a patent application with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines for a larval rearing method developed for the species. Granted in 2023, the patent describes a culture system that uses fresh bioflocs as both food and settlement substrate, allowing high larval survival under controlled conditions. SEAFDEC/AQD holds the patent, with Dr. Mandario named as the sole inventor.
Researchers continue refining large-scale production methods while evaluating the worm's broader use in commercial hatcheries. Standardized culture protocols, disease management strategies, and distribution systems remain necessary before the species can be widely adopted by the aquaculture industry.
What began as an unexpected increase in worms inside a culture tank has since become a promising line of research. From improving shrimp broodstock nutrition to enhancing pond sediment quality, 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘢 𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 demonstrates how careful observation can transform an overlooked organism into a practical solution for aquaculture.
