brineshrimp

Brine shrimp are small aquatic crustaceans in the genus Artemia, belonging to the order Anostraca. They inhabit saline lakes, salt ponds, and temporary brine pools in deserts and coastal zones around the world. The most familiar species is Artemia salina, with others such as Artemia franciscana also widely distributed. Brine shrimp are notable for their tolerance of extreme salinity, often thriving in waters far saltier than seawater.

They are filter feeders, feeding on microalgae and organic detritus. Reproduction is sexual with separate sexes in most populations, but some populations are parthenogenetic.

Females brood embryos in a brood pouch and release cysts, which are dormant, desiccation-tolerant eggs capable of surviving long periods out of water. Cysts hatch when placed in suitable freshwater or low-salinity water, releasing free-swimming nauplii that go through several molts to become adults. This diapause ability makes them a reliable live feed even after storage.

Humans harvest brine shrimp cysts from natural and industrial salt ponds. The cysts are shipped worldwide as a high-value aquaculture product, used as a live feed for fish and crustacean larvae and, in processed form, as a source of protein and astaxanthin in feeds. Brine shrimp are also studied in ecology, osmoregulation, and developmental biology due to their ease of culture and distinctive diapause.