The Nutrition of the Crustacea

This chapter reviews the existing status of knowledge regarding the nutrition of the Crustacean and some of the attractive possibilities that exist for further extensive study in this area. The numerous edible crustaceans, because of their tremendous economic importance, present continual problems in population nutrition because of the recurrent threats, which occur to their own populations. Many larger food fishes depend upon crustaceans to a considerable degree for their nutrition, and the importance of the smaller crustaceans in general ecological problems has probably never been adequately assessed. Despite these well-recognized facts, there is at present only a very limited effort being put forth on crustacean physiology. The numerous practical difficulties that have been encountered in the culture of the larger aquatic crustaceans under controlled conditions are so great as largely to preclude the use of these animals as objects of detailed nutritional experiments. The Cladocera represents the highest form of animal life that can be conveniently cultured in aqueous media under sterile conditions, and therefore present an interesting challenge to nutritional research.