Comparison of culture performance and gonadal development of wild-caught Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis juveniles from three major river populations

The Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis is an important aquaculture species in China, the main culture locations of which are the river basins of the Liaohe, Huanghe and Yangtze Rivers. This study was conducted to compare culture performance and gonadal development of wild E. sinensis populations from the three rivers cultured in identical ponds. In both females and males, the Yangtze population (YP) had a significantly (P < 0.05) higher mean body weight, weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) than the Liaohe population (LP) from March to May and July–September, and the LP had the highest WGR and SGR from May to July. The onset of molting during puberty and gonad development were earliest in the LP; the gonadosomatic index of the Huanghe population (HP) was between that of the YP and LP. In terms of size distribution, YP and LP had the most large-sized and small-sized individuals, respectively. YP had the highest yield and lowest feed conversion rate (FCR), and HP had the lowest survival and highest FCR. In conclusion, the YP showed the best culture performance of the three populations. Each population completed puberty molting and gonadal development at a different time, therefore selective breeding could extend the time to market of this crab.