Aquaculture Opportunities of Some Tropical Crustacean Species in the Warm Mediterranean Zone of Turkey

There is no any cructacean species that has been under culture in freshwater resources in the warm mediterranean and agean regions of turkey. yet, these regions, with their many natural lakes, dam-lakes, rivers flowing into mediterranean and agean seas, are thought to offer great aqua-farming potential. it is well known that there are some good freshwater tropical shrimp (macrobrachium sp.) and crayfish (cherax sp.) species commonly grown world-wide and that can be suitable for farming in our warm water resources. the giant freshwater shrimp (macrobrachium rosenbergii), naturally found in south-east asia, is an important commercial freshwater shrimp species that is grown in many tropical and sub-tropical parts of the world, outside of their natural distribution. this species, which can be spawned throughout the year with considerably easy methods and can be grown to marketable size in as short as 4-5 months, is considered to be suitable for the mediterranean climate. again, with their fast growth rate, good food conversion ratio and high meat yield, the crayfish species (belonging to the genus cherax) that are farmed in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of australia have to be also seriously considered for culture in our country. among the species, the culture of the red-claw crayfish (cherax quadricarinatus) should be given a priority as this species can reproduce throughout the year and reach to marketable size in 5-7 months. it is known that this species can be grown to 50-100 g in 7 months. optimal water temperature for the growth of both freshwater shrimp and the tropical crayfish species is around 28-30°c. the biggest problem for the culture of these crustaceans in the mediterranean zone is the temperatures that can fall dawn to 12-13°c in winter months. in order to prevent them from the cold temperatures and to achieve year-round production, the farmers have to utilize some sort of green-housing systems, warm ground waters (20°c>), and when necessary, heating systems in their facilities at least for the seed and nursery production in winter and spring. no doubt that r&d as well as proper production and marketing strategies will be the key issues for the success of such tropical crustacean farming sector in the country.