Mysid Culture Methods and Technical Key Points

(1) Culture species In the 1970s, mysids were cultured in Shantou, Guangdong and Fujian, or collected from natural waters as feed for seahorses; the Shandong Rizhao Mariculture Experimental Station used earthen ponds to culture Neomysis awatschensis and achieved good results. At present, in China along the coast of Shandong, in-depth research has been conducted on the biology of Neomysis awatschensis; in Japan, Neomysis vulgaris, Neomysis japonica, Neomysis perfecta, and Neomysis intermedia have all been studied in terms of live biology or fisheries biology. All of the above species can be listed as culture species.

(2) Collecting seed stock The juveniles of common coastal mysid species are all 2-3 mm in body length, and most adults range from 5-15 mm in body length, making them large species in the plankton community. For collection, hand nets or tow nets can be made from grass cloth or mosquito netting, or even plastic window screen. Collection sites should be chosen in waters that have been surveyed and found to have mysid distribution, with a large resource volume, and convenient transportation and operation. Mysids mostly carry out reproductive activity around dawn, so collection should be done in the morning, especially in summer when the weather is muggy, and even more so at dawn or sunrise. In winter, collection can be done around noon. Mysids are bottom-swimming small shrimp, and some species mostly live near the shore, on the muddy sand at the bottom near the bank. The body color of mysids changes with the living environment; for species living along the shore, if they lie still, it is very difficult to tell that mysids are present. Mysids living in brackish waters have transparent body color; for example, Neomysis japonica lives among aquatic plants, and if the plants are not disturbed, it is also very difficult to see the mysids. Therefore, when collecting, a net with a handle must be brought close to the bottom and pushed forward to drive them, or the aquatic plants must be disturbed (do not muddy the water), causing the mysids to be startled and swim upward, and then they are collected. Do not collect too many; if the transport distance is not far and the time is not long, aeration is not needed. Of course, using a battery-powered pump for aeration during transport is even more effective for preventing hypoxia.