Key Points and Methods of Freshwater Shrimp Farming Explained

Freshwater shrimp are distributed throughout our country, and today the editor will explain the methods of artificial freshwater shrimp farming. Freshwater shrimp are a very common aquatic product, and their high protein content makes them widely loved. There are also many ways to prepare freshwater shrimp, so sales are good, making them a recommended farming product. Everyone can study the farming techniques for freshwater shrimp carefully.

Freshwater Shrimp Farming Techniques

1. Pond conditions and cleaning. It is advisable to choose a freshwater pond or shrimp pond with an area of 3-5 mu, a water depth of 1.5-2.5 m, abundant and pollution-free freshwater sources, and a sandy bottom.  

2. Fertilizing to cultivate feed. One week before stocking shrimp fry, filter the water with a 60-80 mesh silk sieve net, fill to 30 cm, and apply 50 kg of base fertilizer (fermented livestock manure) or 5 kg of urea per mu to cultivate basic feed.  

3. Stocking shrimp fry. Generally, in late May, when the water temperature stabilizes at 18-20°C, shrimp fry can be stocked. The shrimp fry need to undergo desalination treatment for more than one week, and can only be stocked when the specific gravity is below 1.003. Generally, 30,000-40,000 shrimp fry of 0.7-1.0 cm are stocked per mu, and fry below 0.7 cm need temporary holding. In shrimp ponds, 80-150 large silver carp and bighead carp fingerlings of 10-20 cm can be polycultured.  

4. Feeding. Within 1 month after the shrimp fry are put into the pond, there is basically no need to feed compound feed; they mainly rely on plankton in the pond for food. After 1 month, feed compound feed, supplemented by fresh fish, shellfish meat, etc. The feeding rate is generally 3%-5% of the shrimp body weight. From July to September, the feeding amount can be appropriately increased, with the principle of leaving no residual feed. The number of feedings is 2-3 times per day, with daytime feeding accounting for 1/3 and evening feeding accounting for 2/3.  

5. Regulating water and preventing disease. Ten days after stocking the shrimp fry, begin gradually adding water, adding 10-15 cm each week. In high-temperature seasons, change 20-30 cm of water every 2-3 days. About every half month, apply 5-10 kg of quicklime per mu, slaked into slurry and splashed over the whole pond, which both improves water quality and bottom conditions and sterilizes while promoting shell shedding and growth. At the same time, at 15-20 days, prepare medicinal feed with 1‰-3‰ garlic and feed continuously for 3-5 days.  

6. Harvesting. Generally after 80-100 days of farming, when the shrimp body reaches 7-10 cm, they can be caught and sold according to market conditions. They can be caught with nets or by draining the water. For dry live transport out of water for 36 hours, the survival rate can reach 90%.

Daily Management of Freshwater Shrimp

1. Establish a pond inspection system. Inspect the pond every day and take timely countermeasures when abnormalities are found.

2. Regulate water quality. Keep the dissolved oxygen in the shrimp pond above 5 g/L, pH 7-8.5, and transparency around 40 cm. Change water once every 15-20 days, changing 1/3 each time. Splash quicklime water once every 20 days, using 10 kg of quicklime per mu each time. Keep the water level stable; it must not rise and fall abruptly.

3. Strengthen management of habitat and molting sites. Always maintain abundant aquatic plants in the shrimp pond. When large numbers of shrimp are molting, disturbance is strictly prohibited. After molting, immediately increase feeding of high-quality palatable feed to prevent mutual cannibalism and promote growth.

4. Prevent escape and disease. Strengthen inspections during flood seasons and strictly prevent shrimp from escaping. Do a good job in disease prevention and control and in removing natural enemies.

Living Habits of Freshwater Shrimp

Freshwater shrimp live in rivers, lakes and marshes, ponds, and ditches. In winter they inhabit deep water. After the water temperature rises in spring, the oriental river prawn begins to move toward the banks, and in summer it seeks food and reproduces in places with dense aquatic plants along the shore. The spawning period is from April to early September, with the peak period in June and July. The suitable water temperature is 18-28°C. After overwintering, female shrimp can spawn twice in succession between April and July. When the eggs from the first spawning hatch, the ovaries have already matured again, and then molting, mating, and the second spawning follow. The interval between the two spawnings is about 20-25 days. Among the new shrimp population of that year, some shrimp (generally 24-35 mm in body length) mature sexually and carry eggs in August, and the offspring they produce cannot spawn in that same year.

After the female shrimp's ovaries develop and mature, the ovaries appear brownish green, and the edges of the abdominal side plates appear pale yellow and open to both sides. Mating takes place before the female shrimp spawns. Before mating, the female shrimp generally molts first. During mating, the male shrimp embraces the female shrimp, with the ventral surface of its body pressed against the ventral surface of the female shrimp, lying on its side on the bottom or on aquatic plants, and then the male shrimp releases the spermatophore. Mating takes a very short time. After mating, the female shrimp generally spawns within 24 hours. Spawning mostly occurs before dawn. All mature eggs in the ovaries are released at one time.

Habitat Environment of Freshwater Shrimp

1. Water quality

Freshwater with relatively high hardness is required, with fresh water quality, rich dissolved oxygen, and slightly alkaline, meeting fishery water quality standards.

2. Water temperature

The water temperature must not be too high or too low. The most suitable water temperature is 20-25°C, and the peak breeding period is 26-30°C.

3. Dissolved oxygen

It is not tolerant of low-oxygen environments. Its oxygen consumption rate and suffocation point are both higher than those of ordinary fish. When a fish pond is short of oxygen, the oriental river prawn will surface for air first and die first.

4. Light

Light is an important factor in the growth and fattening of freshwater shrimp. Adult shrimp are relatively afraid of light, but juvenile shrimp have strong phototaxis. The oriental river prawn is selective about light color; yellow light and green light more easily trigger a phototactic response in it, while it shows an avoidance response to red light.

Types of Freshwater Shrimp

At present, the main varieties of freshwater crayfish farmed in our country are Procambarus clarkii, red crayfish, and yabby.

1. Procambarus clarkii is native to Central and South America and northeastern Mexico. It was introduced into our country from Japan in the 1930s of the last century. Procambarus clarkii resembles a shrimp but has a hard carapace. Adults are about 5.6-11.9 cm long, dark red, with parts of the carapace nearly black, and there is an oblique stripe on the dorsal side of the abdomen. Juvenile shrimp are uniformly gray, sometimes with black ripples. The claws are narrow and long. The middle of the carapace is not divided by net-like gaps, and the carapace clearly has granules. It can grow in salinity of 3‰ to 9‰; it can withstand high temperatures of 40°C and low temperatures of -15°C. It has strong reproductive capacity.

2. Red crayfish is also called Australian lobster, freshwater lobster, or crayfish. It was originally a wild species in Australia, and its shape closely resembles that of a lobster. It is one of the excellent freshwater farmed shrimp species in the world today. This shrimp can live in rivers, lakes, and ponds, is bottom-dwelling and crawling, and can also survive in brackish water. It is omnivorous, feeding on organic debris, aquatic plants, aquatic insects, small benthic animals, fermented cow dung, and artificial compound feed. The most suitable water temperature is 22-32°C. The extreme water temperatures are 4°C and 37°C. When water quality deteriorates, it can crawl out of the water to save itself.

3. Yabby has a relatively strong drought resistance, and both shrimp and shrimp fry can survive for a relatively long time in a moist, waterless environment. Yabby is not good at swimming and mostly crawls and rests on the pond bottom, liking to hide in crevices of bricks and stones. Under aquatic plants, it likes to move in groups, hiding by day and coming out at night, and does not like strong light. The survival temperature range of yabby is 5-35°C, and the suitable growth temperature is 13-28°C. When the water temperature exceeds 13°C, it begins feeding, growing, and reproducing. When the water temperature exceeds 30°C, growth is inhibited and may even lead to death. It has relatively strong low-oxygen tolerance. Adult shrimp can survive in water with a certain salinity (below 17%‰). Yabby is omnivorous and can feed on plant-based feed such as green vegetables, grains, and plant debris, and can also feed on animal-based feed such as earthworms, insect larvae, snails and clams, small fish and shrimp, tadpoles, or other meats.

Nutritional Value and Benefits of Freshwater Shrimp

1. Easy to digest. Freshwater shrimp are easy to digest and are a high-protein, low-fat food, very suitable for people with weak constitutions or those who need recuperation after illness.

2. Reduce cholesterol. Eating freshwater shrimp can effectively lower blood cholesterol levels, effectively prevent arteriosclerosis, dilate coronary arteries, and effectively prevent hypertension and myocardial infarction.

3. Freshwater shrimp are rich in phosphorus and calcium. They are especially good for children who are still growing.

In fact, freshwater shrimp are still very common, and the most typical representative of freshwater shrimp is the oriental river prawn. The freshwater shrimp we buy in the market are generally oriental river prawns, and the oriental river prawn is also considered one of the easier freshwater shrimp to farm.