What is the best season for river shrimp farming?
SummaryCurrently river shrimp farming generally adopts a two-season model of summer-autumn and winter-spring. Those stocked from mid-July to early August of the same year and harvested and marketed around the Spring Festival are summer-autumn river shrimp; those stocked in early March of the following year and marketed in mid-to-late June are winter-spring river shrimp. River shrimp can spawn 3-4 times each year; when the water temperature reaches above 15°C, the female shrimp reaches sexual maturity, begins to molt, and then mates with the male shrimp. 3-10 hours after mating, the female shrimp will carry yellow eggs.
River shrimp are a high-quality shrimp that live in freshwater. They have a tender taste and are rich in nutrients, and farming river shrimp is an agricultural aquaculture project with relatively high economic value.
At present, most farmers adopt a two-season river shrimp farming method of summer-autumn and winter-spring. Generally, summer-autumn river shrimp are stocked from mid-to-late July to early August of the same year, and can be harvested and sold on the market around the Spring Festival; winter-spring river shrimp are generally stocked in early March of the following year as young shrimp about 2-3cm in size into ponds, and can be harvested and sold on the market in mid-to-late June.
River shrimp can spawn 3-4 times each year. Generally, from mid-April to early May, when the water temperature is above 15°C, sexually mature female shrimp begin reproductive molting, and the molting process generally takes only about 2 minutes. After molting, the female shrimp and male shrimp mate by facing each other with their abdomens, and mating lasts about 5 minutes. 3-10 hours after mating, the female shrimp will carry eggs, and the eggs are yellow in color.
Techniques for farming river shrimp
1. Pond selection
Ponds for farming river shrimp require an adequate freshwater source, clear and unpolluted water quality, and preferably a sandy bottom. The area is generally controlled at about 3-5 mu, and the water depth at about 1.5-2.5m. Before stocking shrimp fry, the pond needs to be disinfected first to provide the shrimp fry with a high-quality living environment.
2. Fertilizing the water and cultivating feed
7 days before stocking shrimp fry, inject 30cm of water into the pond, then use 60-80 mesh sieve silk netting to filter the pond, and then apply 50 kg/mu of livestock and poultry manure base fertilizer or 5 kg/mu of urea into the pond to fertilize the water quality, promoting the massive growth and reproduction of plankton in the water and providing sufficient natural feed for the shrimp fry.
3. Stocking shrimp fry
When stocking shrimp fry, it is best to do so when the water temperature is stable at 18-20°C. One week before stocking, the shrimp fry need to be desalinated; once the specific gravity reaches below 1.003, they can be stocked. Shrimp fry about 0.7-1.0cm in size are generally stocked at a density of about 30,000-40,000 per mu, while shrimp fry below 0.7cm need temporary rearing. Generally, 80-150 silver carp and bighead carp fingerlings about 10-20cm in size can also be polycultured in the shrimp pond.
4. Feed feeding
In the first month after the shrimp fry are stocked into the pond, they can basically be allowed to feed on plankton in the water on their own without feeding feed. After one month, an appropriate amount of compound feed can be fed, and some shellfish meat and fresh fish can also be fed. The daily feed amount should be 3-5% of the total body weight of the shrimp population. When temperatures are higher in July-September, the feeding amount can be appropriately increased, but do not feed too much, so as to avoid waste. Feed 2-3 times per day, with daytime feeding accounting for 1/3 of the whole day and evening feeding accounting for 2/3 of the whole day.
5. Regulating water quality and preventing disease
10 days after stocking shrimp fry, add about 10-15cm of water into the pond each week. When summer temperatures are higher, change 20-30cm of the pond water every 2-3 days. About every half month, splash quicklime into the pond at a ratio of 5-10 kg/mu for disinfection, so as to improve the pond water quality and bottom quality. This can also kill bacteria in the pond and promote river shrimp molting. During the farming process, about every half month add 1-3% garlic medicated bait into the feed and feed continuously for 3-5 days to prevent disease in the shrimp population.
6. Harvesting
River shrimp are generally farmed for about 80-100 days, and the body length of river shrimp can reach about 7-10cm, at which point they can be sold on the market. For harvesting, net fishing can generally be used, or the pond water can be drained before collecting. River shrimp can be transported live by the dry method 36 after being out of water, and the survival rate can generally reach about 90%.