Blinding the shrimp, a way to breed more shrimp!

Shrimp Reproduction Process:

Male and female shrimps exhibit separate genders, with maturation typically occurring around one year of age. Female shrimps undergo five distinct stages of ovarian maturation, culminating in the fourth stage when the eggs reach full maturity and are released from the body.

Artificial Shrimp Propagation:

Modern shrimp reproduction involves artificial methods, predominantly carried out in earthen ponds. To foster the development of brood shrimp capable of laying eggs, fishermen and experts venture into the sea, utilizing shrimp fishing nets to capture mature females. Identified specimens with eggs are carefully selected and transported to specialized facilities known as shrimp breeding centers.

Shrimp Breeding Centers:

Shrimp breeding centers serve as dedicated facilities staffed by numerous experts and workers. These centers feature hall-like buildings housing multiple concrete ponds, each with a capacity of approximately 10 cubic meters. Upon arrival, the captured mother shrimp undergo a period of acclimatization to their new environment, during which water salinity and temperature are adjusted to minimize stress. Subsequently, a diluted formalin solution is employed to eliminate any potential contaminants.

Transition to Spawning Tanks:

Following the preparatory steps, the mother shrimp are transferred to spawning tanks, each with a capacity of around 300 liters. Recognizing the shrimp’s preference for a quiet and dark environment, the tanks are covered with thick, dark plastic to simulate the desired conditions. Noise is minimized, and proper ventilation is maintained throughout the night to encourage natural spawning, typically occurring around 10 o’clock. During this process, each female shrimp lays between 100,000 and 200,000 eggs.

Quality Assessment and Rearing:

The following morning, experts carefully remove the spawned shrimp from the spawning tank. Under a microscope, they assess the quality of the eggs, separating the healthy ones for transfer to rearing tanks. At this early stage, shrimp and their eggs are microscopic and not visible to the naked eye.

Hatching and Larval Development:

Approximately 10 to 12 hours later, the eggs hatch into baby shrimp, known as nauplii, bearing no resemblance to mature shrimp. Over the course of about 16 days, these nauplii undergo regular metamorphosis to gradually acquire the appearance of their adult counterparts. The specific names and transformation times of each larval life stage are detailed in the accompanying table.