Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Discuss ALASKA Freshwater shrimp.

Discuss freshwater shrimp anywhere on earth.
My personal experience and thirst for specific education is Alaska freshwater shrimp.
Are they harvested for human consumption....???

https://redoubtreporter.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/kenai-crustaceans-—-shrimplike-amphipods-are-curious-little-seen-residents-of-lakes-streams/

For local fly patterns mirroring these "Arthropods," the common name used is the "scud."

Any local lake in our area ( yours and mine) will have them.

Sometimes, the lakes are full of them. I remember drilling an ice hole in the last ice of March one spring. I was shocked when I cleared the hole with the auger. With the slush came literally hundreds and hundreds of these! These are not really "shrimp." Rather, they are insects, as are all Arthropods. They range in size from about 1/2" to 5/8" in size. Trout love them, but I hardly think they will be placed on someone's menus anytime soon.

As far as I know, there are no fresh water shrimp (crustaceans) in Alaska. . .

Thank You, I greatly appreciate learning that. For near 60 years I believed they were shrimp.

We had shot and hauled a small caribou for camp meat. My clothing was covered with blood. I tried to rinse the blood out. That failed. So decided to attach a length of 550 cord and heave them deeper in the lake to soak overnight. Next day I retrieved them, totally covered with what I assumed was Freshwater Shrimp. Strangely they could NOT be scraped off.

Always welcome, AGL...

Lots of AK lakes have scuds scud patterns work well certain times of the year.

Honestly officer, that's waterproofing on the fly...not shrimp oil...
😉

Not necessarily Alaska but freshwater shrimp/scuds are what make the flesh of freshwater trout look deep red, like that of many salmon, when shrimp are a predominant part of their diet... that red color turns quickly to more traditional pink in "spawners" who are not eating as they prepare to lay their eggs. Lots of variations in flesh tones in rainbows, cutts, and browns in the same LAKE depending on what they are eating or not eating for whatever reason! Rivers might be different.

That is my experience anyway. The next question would be what are the shrimp eating, how would this compare to what goes on in the salt water realm of the salmon, ie. shrimp, krill, plankton, etc???

Good question and there is an answer out there from someone who "knows."

There used to be a lake south and east of Las Vegas NM that received water from the tail end of an irrigation project.

It had unbelievable daphnia population, trout from there looked more like crappie shape.

A flood wiped out the diversion from the Gallinas River; apparently not enough desire/money or some such to overcome hurdles for the reconstruction and now the former lake is a prairie pothole looking depression (Google Earth recon".

That likely destroyed a small stream I used to fish with the biggest Green Sunfish I have ever seen.

Caught one that exceeded the state record, at least in length.
Too good of fishery to keep any except for the smaller eating size.

Wonder if the Gallinas has cleaned up enough to be a fishery (warm or cold water) down that way?

Dont be giving away too much information, KK😉

A good (better) source than here might just be from a biologist in your state's Fish/Game office.

The op wanted to "discuss freshwater shrimp anywhere on earth." Unfortunately, without any here in Alaska, chances are your last paragraph's questions might grow somewhat stagnant on this thread...


Bhtr