Dongping Lake Big Green Shrimp

Dongping Lake Big Green Shrimp

Dongping Lake Big Green Shrimp is an agricultural product with geographical indication status.

　　Dongping Lake Big Green Shrimp is a specialty of Dongping Lake in Dongping County, Tai’an City, Shandong Province. When eaten raw, the shrimp are tender, fresh, and delicate, with excellent elasticity. After being gently stewed, their bodies turn a vibrant red, exuding a rich aroma with tender, flavorful meat that melts smoothly in the mouth. It is truly a nutritious, delicious, and visually appealing delicacy.

　　Dongping Lake Big Green Shrimp, also known as "marsh shrimp," commonly referred to as river shrimp, is a crustacean belonging to the genus Macrobrachium of the family Palaemonidae in the order Decapoda. It gets its name because it mostly inhabits lakes, ponds, and rivers. Additionally, due to its bluish-green body color with brownish-green patterns and its bamboo-like segmented body structure coupled with its large size, it is called the Big Green Shrimp. It is an aquatic product with high economic and nutritional value. A famous local dish from Dongping, Stir-fried Shrimp with Shoots, uses these lake-caught Big Green Shrimp as the main ingredient.

　　Big Green Shrimp are dioecious, with males being larger. They have three pairs of walking legs: the first pair, commonly called small claws, are used to grasp small aquatic organisms and bring them to the mouth for consumption; the second pair is very robust, almost or even more than twice the length of the body (in females, the second pair is only as long as the body); the third pair has a black spot on the outer base of each leg. During the breeding season, females carrying eggs exhibit a particularly dark body color, often bluish-brown.

　　Big Green Shrimp grow rapidly. Typically, shrimp larvae hatched between April and May reach a length of 3 cm and sexual maturity after just 45 days. They generally reproduce twice a year: the first time between April and May, known as "mold shrimp"; the second time between July and August, known as "autumn shrimp." The lifespan of Big Green Shrimp is usually 14–18 months. Those that survive the winter typically begin dying in early July, and by October, the older shrimp have all but disappeared, making way for the new generation. Big Green Shrimp are eurythermic animals and can live normally as long as the water temperature does not fall below 0°C. They start feeding at temperatures above 14°C, with optimal growth occurring at 25–30°C. They are highly adaptable to sudden drops in temperature. These shrimp prefer clean water with high dissolved oxygen levels, ideally maintained above 5 mg/L.

　　Big Green Shrimp prefer muddy bottoms, especially those covered with aquatic plants, and they also favor shallow water environments. Except during winter when they move to deeper waters, they generally inhabit areas no deeper than 1 meter during the growing season. Aquatic vegetation plays a crucial role in the growth of Big Green Shrimp, directly affecting their survival rate and yield. These shrimp are aggressive and omnivorous. In their juvenile stage, they feed on plankton, while adults consume fallen leaves of aquatic plants, filamentous algae, and the remains of aquatic animals. When food is scarce, larger shrimp may prey on smaller ones, leading to cannibalistic behavior. Under artificial farming conditions, Big Green Shrimp readily consume various fish feeds such as rice bran, wheat bran, and soybean meal.

　　Dongping Lake Big Green Shrimp enjoy high yields, producing around 300 tons annually, ranking first among green shrimp in the province. The shrimp have tender, delicious meat, rich nutrition, and are easy to preserve. Once they hit the market, they are in high demand. Nowadays, they have become an important export commodity. Local aquatic product companies in our county roast sweet shrimp skewers using Big Green Shrimp and sugar as ingredients. These skewers are brightly colored, delicious, and highly popular in Japan, making them an excellent gift choice for friends and family.

　　Dongping Lake Big Green Shrimp have abundant fry, are not picky about feed, and are easy to farm artificially. They feature low investment, low cost, low risk, and quick returns, making them a “short, flat, fast” aquaculture project. This advantage has made them one of the main aquaculture species in the Dongping Lake reservoir area, providing an effective income-generating pathway for fishermen to escape poverty and achieve prosperity.

　　Location:

　　Shandong

　　Applicant:

　　Dongping County First Freshwater Aquaculture Experimental Farm

　　Location:

　　2014

　　Geographic Scope

　　Dongping Lake Big Green Shrimp are distributed throughout Dongping Lake. Dongping Lake covers a total area of 627 square kilometers (including 418 square kilometers in the New Lake area and 209 square kilometers in the Old Lake area). The Old Lake area has a perennial water surface of 166.7 square kilometers and an average depth of 2.5 meters. When the entire lake is filled to 46 meters, its total water storage capacity is 4 billion cubic meters. The lake area includes nine towns and subdistrict offices: Xinhu, Laohu, Yingshan, Jiuxian, Banjiudian, Daimiao, Zhoucheng, Shanglaizhuang, and Dongping. The geographic protection scope of Dongping Lake Big Green Shrimp covers the entire Dongping Lake, with a protected area of 166.7 square kilometers and a yield of 1,200 tons. The geographical coordinates are: Point A: 116°12′17.99″E, 36°07′10.44″N; Point B: 116°06′25.26″E, 35°57′45.14″N; Point C: 116°13′45.11″E, 35°54′11.77″N; Point D: 116°18′27.67″E, 35°56′05.16″N.