Genetic improvement and breeding practice of Chinese mitten crab in CHina

Chenghui Wang
 
Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fisheries Germplasm Resources, Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China

Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) is a very important freshwater culture crab in China with annual production of 0.8 million tons and value of 5 billion US dollar. However, the genetic improvement programs have be conducted since 2000 and only the five selective bred was approved and cultured in aquaculture, which accounted for 10% culture water area. This paper reported the genetic improvement practice and achievement of Chinese mitten crab in China during the past fifteen years. Meanwhile, the breeding methods and procedures were also presented for this species.

Chinese mitten crab, belonging to crustaceans, is the most important economic crab species throughout the northern and central coastal regions of China. In 2015, its production was nearly 0.8 million tons and 5 billion US dollar, and it covered nearly 0.6 million hectare culture water of lakes and ponds. In this century, the rapid development of aquaculture of this species (Figure 1) have been making a strong requirement of genetic improved bred in industry. However, it is relative difficult to conduct genetic breeding practice for mitten crab than shrimps and fishes, because of only one time reproduction in its two-year lifecycle. Since 2000, the genetic breeding program was initiated for the Yangtze River population in Southern region and the Liaohe River population in the Northern region of China. In 2011, these two genetic improved variants, named as "Yangtze No.1" and "Guanhe No. 1", respectively, were approved by the ministry of Agriculture. Meanwhile, another genetic breeding program was also conducted for this species based on the founder stock of Netherland colonized population in 2003, and the bred was approved by the ministry of Agriculture in 2013. Furthermore, the newly bred of "Sea & river 21" conducted by our laboratory was also approved and cultured in 14 provinces of China in 2015 (Figure 2)