A Detailed Guide to Mantis Shrimp Farming Techniques and Fishing Methods
The mantis shrimp is a common shrimp species, very common in coastal areas. Its flesh is delicious and it is loved by the general public, so more and more people are farming mantis shrimp. So what are the mantis shrimp farming techniques? How do you fish for mantis shrimp?
1. Mantis shrimp farming techniques
1. Pond requirements
An area of 3 to 6 mu, rectangular, with a large slope, complete water inlet and drainage facilities, and aeration equipment, with the method of an air pump with sandy air heads being the best, and an aeration power of 1.1 kilowatts per 3 mu. Old fish ponds, shallow ponds, or flat well-shaped ponds dug from rice fields are all acceptable, generally with an area of 8 to 15 mu, a small pond slope, and a water depth on the field board of 0.6 to 1 m, with no need for aeration equipment.
2. Farming techniques
The stocking time for mantis shrimp in spring is from December of the previous year to February of the following year. The size of mantis shrimp fry is 400 to 1,200 shrimp per kg, and the stocking rate is 25 to 30 kg per mu. From mid-April, ground cages are used to catch the large ones and leave the small ones, until the pond is drained for harvesting in June. The feed is mainly complete pelleted feed for mantis shrimp, supplemented by fresh and live feed such as small miscellaneous fish. The yield is generally 40 to 60 kg per mu.
In the low-to-medium-yield pond monoculture model for mantis shrimp, stocking is generally carried out in December of the previous year, with shrimp fry of 400 to 1,200 shrimp per kg, at 15 to 20 kg per mu. In the spring of the following year, the large ones are caught and the small ones are left, and during the breeding season the pond's own mantis shrimp mate and reproduce young shrimp, generally yielding 30 to 50 kg per mu per year. This farming method easily leads to the degradation of mantis shrimp germplasm, and the mantis shrimp brought to market are rather small in size. The advantage of this farming method is low investment and low risk, making it suitable for use in economically underdeveloped areas.
2. How do you fish for mantis shrimp?
1. Net fishing: mainly shrimp trawl nets, scoop nets, shrimp lift nets, shrimp dip nets, and towed shrimp nets. The shrimp lift net is a commonly used small square lift-net fishing gear. During operation, a lift net containing bait is laid in the shallow water near the shore of ditches, ponds, or lakes, using the shrimp's habit of preferring to inhabit grassy areas by the water and its greed for food to lure it into the net and achieve capture. The shrimp dip net is a push-scoop type of shrimp-catching gear, suitable for operation in shallow water areas. Because push-scooping damages the habitat environment of mantis shrimp, it is not often used during rotational harvesting. Shrimp trawl nets, scoop nets, and towed shrimp nets are all fishing gear operated by being pulled by boats in large water bodies, with large catches, suitable for operation in waters such as lakes where mantis shrimp are propagated.
2. Weir fishing: the shrimp weir is a barrier-type fence gear used in large water bodies such as lakes. During operation, bamboo is woven into a curtain shape and set up at the lakeside or harbor where the water is shallow, grassy, and flowing, cutting off the shrimp's path and luring it into the shrimp basket inside the weir to achieve capture. Nowadays most have switched to net fences and no longer use bamboo curtains. Because it is a fixed-position fishing gear, it is widely used in lakes.
3. Cage fishing: this is the most commonly used fishing gear in rotational harvesting, including shrimp cages, ground cages, and so on. The shrimp cage is a trap-type cage gear woven from bamboo strips in a “” (person) shape. During operation, fragrant food is placed inside the cage, which is placed in shallow water areas with lots of aquatic plants, luring shrimp into the cage to feed so that they are captured. The ground cage, on the other hand, uses iron wire as a frame and is made by enclosing it with netting. It is rectangular in shape; the small ones are 2 to 3 m long, and the large ones are 10 m long. Their width and height are generally 20 to 30 × 20 to 30 cm. Trap holes are set at intervals on both sides, and there is a stone weight at the bottom to make the ground cage sink to the bottom. Generally the ground cage is set in the shallow water area around the pond. Small ground cages also have bait placed inside, and their fishing effect is quite good. There is also a small square cage with specifications of roughly 30 × 20 × 10 (cm), divided inside into two compartments, one being the shrimp-luring compartment and the other being a compartment that lures shrimp inside and can pour the shrimp out. Its effect in rotational harvesting of mantis shrimp is also quite good.
4. Nest fishing with shrimp bundles: this is a commonly used nest-scooping type of fishing gear. During operation, shrimp nests made of tied branches and aquatic plants are placed in the water to lure shrimp to come and inhabit them, and then the mantis shrimp in the nest can be taken out with a dip net.