Comparative study on the nutrition composition of adult male Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) with different coloured hepatopancreases

High lethality of white hepatopancreas syndrome has caused large economic loss of Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis). Hepatopancreas colour of diseased crabs is gradually lighter, turning from golden yellow to yellow‐white to white. This study investigated composition of conventional nutrients in three edible parts of different coloured hepatopancreases of adult males, including normal yellow hepatopancreas group (Control), yellow‐white hepatopancreas group (YWH) and white hepatopancreas group (WH). No significant differences were observed in tissue indices and total edible yield among three crab types; however, condition factor level in crabs of YWH and WH was significantly lower. Dry matter content was significantly reduced in crabs of WH, especially crude fat level of hepatopancreas in WH males. Levels of all the amino acids of WH crabs in muscles and gonads were significantly lower than that of control. Proportion of saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids were much lower in hepatopancreas of WH crabs than those of control, while proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids and highly unsaturated fatty acids were significantly higher. Overall, YWH and WH do not affect growth. WH crabs showed poor nutritional quality, and nutritional value of YWH was in the middle as transition state between control and WH.     

伊乐藻对中华绒螯蟹生长和营养品质的影响

本研究分析了有伊乐藻(Elodea nuttallii)组和对照组(无伊乐藻)中华绒螯蟹(Eriocheir sinensis)在生长、肌肉氨基酸和脂肪酸组成等方面的差异,探讨伊乐藻对中华绒螯蟹生长和营养品质的影响。结果显示,有伊乐藻组中华绒螯蟹体重、壳长和壳宽增长率与肥满度均显著高于无伊乐藻组(P0.05),但肝胰腺指数和性腺指数差异不显著(P0.05)。伊乐藻组中华绒螯蟹肌肉的氨基酸总量、必需氨基酸和鲜味氨基酸含量均显著高于无伊乐藻组(P0.05);伊乐藻组的雌蟹肝胰腺中的鲜味氨基酸含量也显著高于无伊乐藻组(P0.05),而伊乐藻组和无伊乐藻组的雄蟹肝胰腺氨基酸含量差异不显著(P0.05)。伊乐藻组和无伊乐藻组的中华绒螯蟹肌肉脂肪酸组成和含量差异不显著(P0.05),但伊乐藻组中华绒螯蟹的肝胰腺饱和脂肪酸(SFA)、单不饱和脂肪酸(MUFA)和多不饱和脂肪酸(PUFA)含量均显著高于无伊乐藻组(P0.05)。综上所述,伊乐藻不仅有利于中华绒螯蟹的生长,而且能改善中华绒螯蟹的营养品质。     

Ovarian development and nutritional quality changes of the wild‐caught Portunus trituberculatus during the artificial fattening period

A female swimming crab (Portunus trituberculatus) with fully developed ovaries is considered one of the most nutritious types of seafood. The fishing yield of P. trituberculatus in China has always been high; however, its economic value has been low and unreliable due to poor ovarian development and low nutritional value. Artificial fattening is an effective way to improve the value of wild‐caught crabs, and this study focused on analysing the ovarian development and nutritional quality of the female P. trituberculatus during an artificial fattening period. Therefore, this study provides scientific evidence on the effects of artificial fattening on female P. trituberculatus and can guide the development of nutritional quality regulations for wild‐caught female crabs during the fattening process. The results showed that the ovaries of the wild female P. trituberculatus developed gradually. The ovarian morphology became bulkier, while the gonadosomatic index (GSI) and total edible yield (TEY) were significantly improved after artificial fattening. Significant changes in the nutritional components of the edible tissues were observed, and the moisture content in the ovaries and hepatopancreas decreased continually, while both the protein and fat content in the ovaries significantly increased. Moreover, the fat content in the hepatopancreas significantly increased. The saturated fatty acids(ΣSFA) in the ovaries and hepatopancreas had an increasing trend after fattening, while ΣPUFA and Σn‐3PUFA first decreased and then increased. In contrast, the ratio of Σn‐3PUFA to Σn‐6PUFA decreased steadily. However, the fatty acid composition of the muscles did not change significantly. The levels of all the amino acids increased continuously during the fattening process, and EAA increased significantly in the early stages of the fattening period. Consequently, all amino acids became nonlimiting amino acids after fattening. Furthermore, the ratio of EAA/NEAA in the ovaries increased continually until the end of the fattening period. On the other hand, the fatness and TEY increased significantly after artificial fattening. In addition, the nutritional value significantly improved with the exception of the high‐quality fatty acids in the ovaries and hepatopancreas, which were slightly lower in both.     

Effect of dietary lipid source and vitamin E on growth,non‐specific immune response and resistance to Aeromonas hydrophila challenge of Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis

Six purified diets were formulated to contain three lipid sources, fish oil (FO), linseed oil (LO) and soybean oil (SO), at 6% diet lipid crossing two levels of vitamin E (100 and 300 mg α‐tocopheryl acetate/kg diet) for each lipid source (FO100, FO300, LO100, LO300, SO100, SO300). The juvenile Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis, respectively, fed on these diets with four replicates for 6 weeks. The crab weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR) were significantly affected by dietary lipid sources. No difference was found between the crabs fed two levels of vitamin E, but the WG and SGR were numerically higher in crab fed 300 mg/kg vitamin E than those fed the other level of vitamin E. The lipid source and vitamin E level could affect fatty acid composition in the hepatopancreas. The contents of saturated fatty acids (SAFA) and n‐3HUFA were significantly higher in the crab‐fed fish oil. The highest contents of n‐6PUFA and n‐3PUFA were found in the crab‐fed soybean oil and linseed oil respectively. The contents of SAFA, n‐3HUFA and n‐3PUFA were higher in the 300 mg/kg vitamin E treatment. A lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content and higher phenoloxidase (PO) activity were observed in the crab fed 300 mg/kg vitamin E. The results of this study indicate that the Chinese mitten crab fed the diet with 6% fish oil and 300 mg/kg vitamin E showed better growth, antioxidant capacity and resistance to Aeromonas hydrophila.     

Enhancing lipid nutritional quality of oysters by hybridization between Crassostrea gigas and C. angulata

In the present study, hybrid and inbred oysters were produced by factorial hybridization between two closely related species, the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas and the Portuguese oyster C. angulata. Tissues samples were used for the analysis of total lipid content (TLC) and fatty acid composition (FAC). In general, FAC but not TLC in hybrid oysters was significantly different from inbred oysters. Hybrid oysters have significantly lower ∑SFA composition but higher ∑PUFA composition than inbred oysters, with heterosis for ∑SFA, ∑MUFA and ∑PUFA of ?6.03%, ?6.53% and 14.31% respectively. Moreover, hybrid oysters have significantly higher EPA + DHA content and n3/n6 PUFA ratio than inbred oysters, indicating higher lipid nutritional quality than inbred oysters. Among them, the hybrid ♀ C. gigas × ♂ C. angulata appears to be the most nutritious. These results indicated that the lipid nutritional quality of oysters can be improved by hybridization.     

Effects of dietary phospholipids and highly unsaturated fatty acids on the precocity,survival, growth and hepatic lipid composition of juvenile Chinese mitten crab,Eriocheir sinensis (H. Milne‐Edwards)

Precocious puberty is one of the major constraints to the further development of Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) farming industry. Although dietary phospholipids (PL) and highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) supplementation have been shown to enhance the growth of larval E. sinensis in other studies, it is still unknown whether this also leads to a higher precocity rate for juvenile E. sinensis. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary PL and HUFA on precocity, survival, growth and hepatic lipid composition of juvenile E. sinensis. Two diets were formulated with PL [3.95% dry weight (DW)] and HUFA (0.98% DW) supplementation (diet A) and without PL and HUFA supplementation (diet B) and fed to juvenile E. sinensis. Although dietary PL and HUFA levels did not significantly affect the survival and growth performance of juvenile E. sinensis, compared with crabs fed diet A, a higher precocity rate was found among juvenile E. sinensis fed diet B (P=0.051). A higher total lipid content, but significantly lower levels of HUFA and PL (P<0.05) were found in the hepatopancreas of crabs fed diet B than in those fed diet A. Meanwhile, the precocious females had significantly lower hepatosomatic index, arachidonic acid (20:4n‐6), eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n‐3) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n‐3) contents in their hepatopancreas when compared with that of the normal immature juveniles (P<0.05). The results suggest that the occurrence of precocious puberty among farmed juvenile E. sinensis could be reduced by the inclusion of appropriate level of dietary PL and HUFA.     

Study on the nutritional quality of ecologically bred Chinese mitten crabs with different body weights

To provide basic nutritional data and theoretical support for the processing and comprehensive utilization of the Chinese mitten crab, we performed a systematic study of the nutritional components of three edible parts, namely the hepatopancreas, gonads and abdominal muscle, of three groups of animals differing in body mass: 75.55 ± 1.56 g, 100.24 ± 2.04 g and 162.27 ± 3.44 g. The results showed that with a greater body mass, the water content was higher, the protein and ash contents were first higher and then lower, and the fat content was first lower and then higher. Amino acids (AAs), essential AAs (EAAs) and the EAA/AA ratio were first higher and then lower, all reaching the standard for high‐quality protein. The most limiting AA was valine. The EAA index was greater than 97 for all three edible parts of the medium‐sized crabs, indicating that crabs in this size group had very high nutritional value. The numbers of detected fatty acids were the same among the edible parts and the three size groups of the river crabs. Among the mineral elements measured, Ca, K and Na were the most abundant and showed a trend of first being higher and then being lower with a larger crab size. Although heavy metals were detected, the Cr, Pb and Cd levels were all within the permissible limits. Therefore, the nutritional quality of the three edible parts was greater for medium‐sized river crabs than for small and large mitten crabs.     

Nutritional evaluation of fatty acids for the open thelycum shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei: II. Effect of dietary n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated and highly unsaturated fatty acids on juvenile shrimp growth, survival, and fatty acid composition

This study evaluated the nutritional value of dietary n‐3 and n‐6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) such as linoleic (LOA) and linolenic (LNA) acids, and highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) such as arachidonic (AA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA), and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids for juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei, based on their effects on growth, survival, and fatty acid composition of hepatopancreas and muscle tissue. Diets contained 5% total lipid. A basal diet contained palmitic and stearic acids each at 2.5% of diet. Five diets contained 0.5% dry weight of LOA, LNA, AA, EPA, or DHA. An additional diet evaluated HUFA in combination by supplementing at 0.5% of diet, a mixture of n‐3 HUFA. All HUFA showed higher nutritional value than PUFA for shrimp and produced significantly (P < 0.05) higher final weight, weight gain, and total lipid in shrimp muscle. Fatty acid profiles of shrimp tissues reflected the composition of the dietary lipids. In general, saturated fatty acids were more abundant in the neutral factions, while PUFA and HUFA were more abundant in the polar fractions of tissues. Under these experimental conditions, HUFA had much greater nutritional value than PUFA for juvenile L. vannamei; moreover, dietary requirements for PUFA were not demonstrated.     

Biochemical composition of pond-reared and lake-stocked Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis (H. Milne-Edwards) broodstock

The morphological characteristics, tissue indices, proximate and fatty acid compositions of hepatopancreas, gonad and muscle of pond‐reared (PR) and lake‐stocked (LS) Eriocheir sinensis broodstock were compared. Lake‐stocked crabs are characterized by a blue carapace, white abdomen, golden legs and yellow setae while PR crabs have a brown carapace, grey abdomen, black legs and similar yellow setae. The carapace length and width of PR crabs were significantly less than those of LS crabs of the same wet weight (WW). The results showed that the hepatosomatic index (HSI) of PR males was significantly higher, but the gonadosomatic index (GSI) was significantly lower for PR females when compared with LS individuals of the same sex. Regardless of their origin, the muscular index (MI) of males was higher than that of females. The hepatopancreas of LS crabs had higher protein levels and lower lipid levels compared with PR crabs. The results of proximate analysis of male gonads from two different sources were similar, while the protein level in the ovary of LS females was higher than that of PR females. The tissues of males had higher water content but lower lipid and protein levels compared with females regardless of their source. The LS crabs had higher highly unsaturated fatty acid (HUFA) levels than PR crabs in their gonad and hepatopancreas. In conclusion, our results suggest that the nutritional quality of LS crabs is better than that of PR crabs, the nutritional quality of males is poorer than that of females. The reproductive performance and larval quality of crabs from these two rearing systems should be further verified.     

发酵饲料对中华绒螯蟹幼蟹生长、抗氧化、免疫和蛋白代谢的影响

为研究发酵饲料配伍配合饲料投喂对中华绒螯蟹幼蟹生长性能、抗氧化、免疫机能和代谢的影响,实验分别制备了5组饲料:对照组以幼蟹配合饲料为基础饲料(F0),各实验组在配合饲料基础上额外添加日投喂量5%、10%、15%和20%发酵饲料,并依次命名为F5、F10、F15和F20。150只均重无显著差异的中华绒螯蟹随机分5组,每组设3个重复,每重复10只蟹,分别饲喂对应组饲料,每天饱食投喂1次,养殖周期59 d。在养殖结束后采集血淋巴和肝胰腺以测定抗氧化指标、免疫指标和蛋白代谢酶活性。结果发现,额外投喂发酵饲料后,各组幼蟹的增重率和特定生长率均较对照组显著升高。随着额外投喂发酵饲料量的增加,血淋巴中过氧化氢酶含量先上升后下降,其中F5、F10和F15组较对照组显著升高。各处理组酸性磷酸酶活性高于对照组,但差异不显著。各组总蛋白和球蛋白含量随着发酵饲料额外投喂量提高呈现先升高后降低的趋势,但是各组间差异不显著。此外,额外添加日投喂量20%比例以下的发酵饲料,可以提升肝胰腺中胰蛋白酶、胃蛋白酶、谷草转氨酶、谷丙转氨酶活性。研究表明,额外投喂发酵饲料可以促进中华绒螯蟹幼蟹的生长,还可以提高其抗氧化能力、免疫机能和蛋白代谢能力。     

Effect of dietary lipids and vitamin E on growth performance,body composition,anti‐oxidative ability and resistance to Aeromonas hydrophila challenge of juvenile Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis

Vitamin E supplement is important in protecting lipid oxidation and enhancing immunity of aquatic animals. A 10‐week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary lipid and vitamin E on juvenile Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis. The experimental diets included three levels of vitamin E (0, 100 and 300 mg kg^?1) and two levels of lipid (6% and 9%). The 9% lipid diet significantly enhanced the body lipid of crabs compared with the 6% lipid diet. The vitamin E concentration of hepatopancreas increased with the increase in vitamin E in the diets regardless of dietary lipid levels. The hepatopancreas fatty acids, especially polyunsaturated fatty acid and highly unsaturated fatty acid, were significantly enhanced by vitamin E supplement or 9% dietary lipid. Vitamin E supplement significantly increased the total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase, lysozyme and phenoloxidase activities of crabs compared with those fed the diets without vitamin E supplement. The hepatopancreas malondialdehyde of crabs fed 100 mg vitamin E kg^?1 was significantly lower than those fed 0 or 300 mg vitamin E kg^?1. The phenoloxidase activity of crabs fed the 9% lipid diet was significantly higher than those fed 6% lipid, irrespective of vitamin E levels. Vitamin E supplementation increased the bacterial resistance of juvenile crab. This study indicates that dietary lipid and vitamin E supplement do not affect crab growth and survival, but vitatmin E supplement at 100 mg kg^?1 can enhance immunity and antioxidant capacity of crab fed 6% or 9% dietary lipids.     

中华绒螯蟹池塘套养与温室养殖的中华鳖雄体生物学指数和营养成分比较

分别取中华绒螯蟹(Eriocheir sinensis)池塘套养和温室养殖中华鳖(Trionyx sinensis)雄体(分别简称为"套养鳖"和"温室鳖")各5只,解剖取四肢肌肉、裙边和肝脏,分析和比较两种鳖的生物学指数,可食组织常规营养成分、氨基酸含量和脂肪酸组成的差异。结果显示:(1)温室鳖裙边指数(SI)和肝体比(HSI)均显著高于套养鳖(P0.05)。(2)套养鳖肌肉灰分和裙边水分含量均显著高于温室鳖,而裙边蛋白含量则以温室鳖较高(P0.01),套养鳖和温室鳖其余常规营养成分均无显著差异(P0.05)。(3)温室鳖肌肉和裙边中的大部分氨基酸、总必需氨基酸(∑EAA)和总氨基酸(TAA)含量显著高于套养鳖,半胱氨酸含量及EAA/TAA以套养鳖较高(P0.05);套养鳖和温室鳖肌肉和裙边中的必需氨基酸评分(EAAS)较为接近,而EAAS平均值以套养鳖较高。(4)温室鳖肌肉C18:1n9、C18:1n7及单不饱和脂肪酸(∑MUFA)总量显著高于套养鳖,而C22:6n3、总多不饱和脂肪酸(∑PUFA)、∑n-3PUFA、总高度不饱和脂肪酸(∑HUFA)含量及n-3/n-6以套养鳖较高(P0.05);就裙边而言,除温室鳖C17:0和C20:2n6含量显著高于套养鳖外(P0.05),其余脂肪酸含量均无显著差异(P0.05)。综上可见,中华鳖在两种养殖模式下均具有较高的营养价值。     

磷脂和HUFA对中华绒螯蟹幼蟹存活、生长、蜕壳及生化组成的影响

实验用中华绒螯蟹(Eriocheir sinensis)幼蟹初始体质量为1.8 g左右。饲料A添加6%鳕鱼肝油和4%大豆卵鳞脂(饲料含4.53%磷脂和1.08%HUFA), 饲料B添加10%的猪油(饲料含0.39%磷脂和0.18%HUFA); 实验蟹单个体饲养(可防止蜕壳期间蟹相互残杀而获得饲料外的营养源), 雌蟹(F)、雄蟹(M)各60个, 实验周期120 d。结果表明: 两组饲料条件下, 幼蟹的存活率、增重率、特定生长率、平均蜕壳次数、蜕壳间隔时间及肝胰腺指数均无显著差异(P>0.05)。但无论是雌蟹还是雄蟹, A组幼蟹肝胰腺和肌肉的总脂含量显著低于B组(P<0.05), 并且A组蟹肝胰腺和肌肉中磷脂、多不饱和脂肪酸和高度不饱和脂肪酸的含量显著高于B组(P<0.05)。这表明, 在中华绒螯蟹幼蟹饲料中添加4.53%磷脂和1.08%HUFA对其存活、生长、蜕壳无显著影响, 但可使其肝胰腺和肌肉中的总脂含量降低, 而磷脂、多不饱和脂肪酸和高度不饱和脂肪酸的含量升高。本研究结果旨在为中华绒螯蟹幼蟹的营养学研究提供理论依据, 同时也为生产上幼蟹饲料的开发提供参考。     

性早熟中华绒螯蟹肝胰腺与性腺的酸性和碱性磷酸酶活性

采用磷酸苯二钠法在520nm波长测定了未成熟、早熟和正常成熟中华绒螯蟹肝胰腺与性腺中的酸性磷酸酶（ACP）和碱性磷酸酶（ALP）。结果表明：（1）各组蟹肝胰腺ACP和ALP活性都显著高于性腺；（2）早熟蟹肝胰腺中ACP活性都显著高于未成熟蟹而低于正常成熟蟹，在各发育阶段没有性别差异，但是，早熟雌蟹和正常成熟雌蟹卵巢中ACP活性都较早熟雄蟹和正常雄蟹精巢低，早熟与正常成熟个体没有差异；（3）早熟雌蟹肝胰腺ALP活性显著高于未成熟和正常成熟雌蟹，而与三组雄蟹处于同一水平，但是，早熟和正常成熟雌雄蟹的性腺中ALP活性没有显著差异。由此得出结论：（1）性腺发育所需营养物质的动员或合成主要与肝胰腺ACP有关；（2）性早熟的发生与肝胰腺中ACP和ALP活性的显著升高有关。     

Effects of replacement of dietary fish oil with soybean oil on growth performance and tissue fatty acid composition in marine herbivorous teleost Siganus canaliculatus

Fish oil (FO) substitution has been studied in many marine carnivorous fish, but seldom in marine herbivorous or omnivorous species. To evaluate the feasibility of using soybean oil (SO) as a dietary lipid and confirm its capability of converting C₁₈ polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) into long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC‐PUFA) in the marine herbivorous teleost Siganus canaliculatus, juvenile fish were fed with four formulated diets differing in lipid composition, with SO accounting for 0.76% (SO0), 23% (SO23), 45% (SO45) and 67% (SO67) of total dietary lipid respectively. After feeding for 8 weeks, growth performance including weight gain, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio and protein efficiency rate were better in the SO23 and, especially, SO45 groups than in the SO0 and SO67 groups (P < 0.05). Tissue fatty acid compositions were affected by diet, with the liver contents of eicosapentaenoic (EPA), docosapentaenoic (DPA), docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids and total n‐3 PUFA displaying parallel changes with the corresponding dietary fatty acids. While the muscle contents of EPA, DPA and total n‐3 PUFA between SO0 and SO23 groups, and the liver contents of arachidonic acid (ARA) and 20:4n‐3, as well as the muscle content of 20:3n‐6 between SO0 and SO45 groups showed no difference, confirming the biosynthesis of LC‐PUFA from C₁₈ precursors in vivo as the contents of corresponding fatty acids in diets SO23/SO45 were much lower than those in diet SO0 (P < 0.05). The results indicate that SO may be a suitable dietary lipid source for S. canaliculatus, and can replace up to 67% or 45% of total dietary FO without negatively compromising growth performance or nutritional quality of fish respectively. Moreover, the study increases our knowledge of FO substitution in marine herbivorous fish.     

Reproductive performance and offspring quality of Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis (H. Milne-Edwards) females fed an optimized formulated diet and the razor clam Sinonovacula constricta

After feeding female Eriocheir sinensis on an optimized formulated diet or fresh razor clam Sinonovacula constricta for 7 months, their reproductive performance and offspring quality were compared. To evaluate diet nutrient contents, the proximate, fatty acid and amino acid compositions of the formulated diet and the razor clam were analysed. The nutritional value of the diets was determined by assessing survival, gonadosomatic index (GSI) and hepatosomatic index (HSI) of female crabs from both diet treatments, together with the percentage of females that spawned, total egg production per female and fecundity (number of eggs g^?1 female wet weight). Furthermore, the quality of eggs and newly hatched larvae from the two dietary treatments were determined using the following parameters: egg diameter, wet weight and dry weight, hatchability, proximate and fatty acid profile of eggs, larval carapace length, resistant to starvation and osmotic shock, larval survival and development to the zoea II stage. Higher protein, phospholipids (PL) and amino acids (AA) contents were found in the razor clam while the formulated diet contains higher levels of ash, total lipid (TL) and 18:1n‐9, 18:2n‐6 and 22:6n‐3 fatty acids. Although female crabs fed the two different diets showed similar reproductive performances, newly hatched zoea I larvae produced by the crabs fed the formulated diet had significantly longer mean carapace length and shorter development time to the zoea II stage under identical culture condition (P<0.05). Moreover, dietary fatty acid appeared to have more significant effects on the fatty acid composition of the hepatopancreas than it did on mature ovaries or eggs. This suggests that the fatty acid profile of mature ovaries is indicative of the specific fatty acid required for ovarian development in E. sinensis. In conclusion, our results show that the optimized formulated diet developed in this laboratory can totally replace the razor clam, a broodstock food widely used in E. sinensis hatcheries in China. This encouraging result should facilitate more reliable hatchery production of this important aquaculture species.     

Does the wild‐caught Chinese mitten crab megalopae perform better than the hatchery‐produced seed during the juvenile culture?

Although wild Yangtze Eriocheir sinensis juveniles (coin‐sized seed) have better culture performance than the pond‐reared juveniles during the adult crab culture stage, the culture performance of wild‐caught megalopae (WC) remains unknown. Therefore, this study was designed to compare the growth, survival rate, crab yield, feed conversion rate (FCR), precocity, final weight and size distribution between WC and hatchery‐produced megalopae (HP) during the juvenile culture stage. Wild‐caught megalopae had significantly higher body weight, weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) during 0–4 weeks but lower WGR and SGR than HP during 4–8 weeks (p < .05). Although WC had a significantly lower survival rate and yield of normal juvenile crabs than HP, total yields of normal juveniles and precocious crabs were similar. Wild‐caught megalopae had a significantly higher precocious rate and yield of precocious crabs than HP (p < .05). Regardless of sex, no significant differences were found in the gonadosomatic index (GSI), hepatosomatic index (HSI) and final weight of normal juveniles and precocious crabs between WC and HP. As for the size distribution of normal crabs, WC had a higher percentage of small female juveniles (<3 g) but a lower proportion of middle size ranges (3–5.99 g and 6–8.99 g) than HP for females (p < .05), and there was no significant difference for males. In conclusion, wild megalopae of the Yangtze E. sinensis had worse culture performance than the hatchery‐produced seeds; therefore, wild megalopae would not be recommended for commercially juvenile culture of E. sinensis.