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Sustainable farming practices of the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) around Hongze Lake, lower Yangtze River Basin, China

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Abstract

Results of a survey of 156 Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) grow-out farms around Hongze Lake (118.48–118.72°E; 33.36–33.38°N) are reported. Area farmed has remained relatively unchanged but production (59 932 t in 2012) increased steadily over the last 7 years, indicative of the viability and sustainability of the farming system that has gradually replaced intensive Chinese major carp polyculture around Hongze Lake. Results showed that production range was 135–2400 kg ha−1 cycle−1 (mean 1144 ± 34). Crab yields correlated linearly to stocking density and conformed to a normal distribution curve, with 66.7 % of farms yielding 900 kg ha−1 cycle−1 or more. Yield was negatively correlated to pond size and capture size (p < 0.01), and farms with macrophyte coverage rate lower than 30 % of water surface were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than those exceeding 30 %.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Science and Technology Supporting Program of China (No. 2012BAD25B08) and the State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology (No. 2014FBZ04). All of us are grateful to numerous farmers who willingly and unreservedly provided us information and records. The valuable cooperation with Hongze Lake Fisheries Management Committee Office and Aquaculture Technology Extension Stations around Hongze Lake is gratefully acknowledged. The contribution of one of us (S.S. De Silva) was made when on a Visiting Professorship under the auspices of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), tenable at the Institute of Hydrobiology, Wuhan. This support from the CAS is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 South Donghu Road, Wuhan, 430072, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Qidong Wang, Jiashou Liu, Yuxi Lian, Xue Du & Zhongjie Li

  2. National Research Centre for Freshwater Fisheries Engineering, 7 South Donghu Road, Wuhan, 430072, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Qidong Wang & Jiashou Liu

  3. Hongze Lake Fisheries Management Committee Office, East Huanghe Road, Huaian, 223002, People’s Republic of China

    Shengyu Zhang

  4. College of Life Science, Huaiyin Normal University, 111 West Changjiang Road, Huaian, 223300, People’s Republic of China

    Huaiyu Ding

  5. School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Warrnambool, VIC, 3280, Australia

    Sena S. De Silva

  6. University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, People’s Republic of China

    Yuxi Lian & Xue Du

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  1. Qidong Wang
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Correspondence to Zhongjie Li.

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Wang, Q., Liu, J., Zhang, S. et al. Sustainable farming practices of the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) around Hongze Lake, lower Yangtze River Basin, China. Ambio 45, 361–373 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-015-0722-0

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