Success Stories In Asian Aquaculture - Library - Network of ...

178 J. Liu and Z. LiPlate 9.1 Broodstock of American paddlefish used for artificial propagationYichang, China (Tian and Wang 2001) . Now the paddlefish is cultured in reservoirs,lakes, and ponds in more than 23 provinces of China.9.2.2 Culture of Exotic CrustaceansThe two main exotic crustacean species cultured in China are the red swampcrayfish Procambarus clarki native to North America and introduced into Chinafrom Japan in 1929 (Wu and Gao 2008) , and the Pacific white shrimp Penaeusvannamei introduced from the Marine Science Institute of Texas University in1988. The culture of the latter is thought to have opened a new chapter in aquaculturein China when by 1994, hatchery techniques for the shrimp were establishedand commercial culture of the species began in the late 1990s.Though the red swamp crayfish was introduced into China much earlier thanother aquatic species, development of the culture industry has taken place only inthe recent years driven by innovation in the cooking methods and establishment ofexport markets. In 2006, the production reached 130,000 tons in mainland China(FBMA 2007) , and the main production occurs in Anhui, Hubei, Jiangsu, andJiangxi provinces (Fig. 9.4 ). Crayfish are widely cultured in many water bodies,including ponds, rice fields, and lakes. In rice fields, the production could be2,250–3,000 kg ha −1 . In ponds, the production could be double that in rice fields.