On September 27, the Marine Development and Fisheries Bureau of Dongying City, Shandong Province organized a field inspection and acceptance meeting for two key research and demonstration projects undertaken by the Shrimp and Crab Efficient Breeding and Green Aquaculture Team of the Marine Biological Breeding Research Institute at our university. The projects—“Small Greenhouse Farming Technology for Scylla Paramamosain” and “Pond Culture Technology for Offshore Portunus trituberculatus”—were evaluated by experts from Ocean University of China, Shandong Marine Science Research Institute, Dongying Marine Development Research Institute, Bohai Aquatic Products Co., Ltd., and Hekou District Marine and Fisheries Research Institute.
After listening to detailed project reports and reviewing relevant production records, the expert panel conducted on-site inspections, sample counts, and measurements. The panel unanimously agreed that the small greenhouse farming technology for Scylla paramamosain and the pond culture technology for offshore swimming crabs developed by Marine Biological Breeding Research Institute of ZWU have reached an advanced level within the industry.
In spring 2025, the Institute carried out artificial factory breeding of Scylla paramamosain, promoting high-quality juveniles to northern farming regions. At the Dongying base, the team conducted aquaculture trials using shrimp-rearing greenhouses, focusing on intermediate cultivation and monoculture techniques for large-sized juveniles. On May 8th, 400 m² greenhouses were stocked with first-phase crab larvae. After one month of intermediate cultivation, the juveniles reached 10–23 g in body weight, with a survival rate of 82%. Subsequent monoculture trials were conducted at a density of 200 crabs per greenhouse. After three months of careful management, the total harvest reached 28 kg (107 crabs), with an overall survival rate of 53.5%. On-site measurements showed that male crabs averaged 378 g (maximum 486 g), while female crabs averaged 171 g (maximum 192 g).
In May 2025, the Institute also made a major breakthrough in indoor large-scale artificial breeding technology for offshore Portunus trituberculatus, which has since been promoted in pilot projects across multiple provinces. Dongying became the first pilot site in Shandong Province. On May 23, the team released 20,000 second-phase crab juveniles into the ponds. By September 27th, over 2,400 jin (≈1,200 kg) of market-sized crabs had been harvested, achieving a survival rate above 25%. Many marketable crabs remain in the ponds, and the survival rate is far higher than the traditional <5% survival rate of pond-raised Portunus trituberculatus. On-site measurements showed average male crab weight of 308 g (maximum 376 g) and average female crab weight of 187 g (maximum 274 g).
The successful implementation of Scylla paramamosain and offshore Portunus trituberculatus aquaculture projects in Dongying marks a significant technological breakthrough in seawater crab farming in northern China. This achievement not only provides alternative species for aquaculture in northern regions, but also promotes the industry’s transformation toward efficiency and low-carbon development, setting a new benchmark for cross-regional seawater crab farming in China.