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A base population containing broad genetic variation provides a fundamental resource for a successful genetic improvement program. Here, we assess quantitative data on growth traits taken from the base population of Pacific white shrimp. Body weight was scored at two ages (BW1 and BW2) from 2752 and 2452 individuals, representing 89 full-sib families. Estimated heritabilities (h 2 ± SE) for BW1, BW2 and survival (S) were 0.52 ± 0.09, 0.44 ± 0.07, and 0.01 ± 0.02, respectively. The genetic correlation between growth traits (BW1 and BW2) was 0.95, a result significantly different from zero. Genetic correlations between survival and body weight were low however, 0.26 (S vs BW1) and 0.18 (S vs BW2), respectively. The SA_1 strain from South Asia showed the best performance for both growth rate and survival in the test tank systems. High heritability estimates for growth traits confirm that a substantial component of additive genetic variance is available for growth in our L. vannamei culture line families in China prior to imposing genetic selection to improve relative productivity. • In this paper we report genetic parameters for growth in penaeid shrimp breeding of sourcing founding population based on domesticated strains. • Quantitative data of 89 full sib-families confirm that a substantial component of additive genetic variance is available for growth in our L. vannamei lines prior to a family selection breeding program to improve relative productivity. • We believe that results presented here are important for sourcing base populations in genetic improvement of aquaculture species, particularly for targeting exotic species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]