Common prawn

The Common prawn (Leander serratus), also recognized as Palaemon serratus, is a decapod crustacean belonging to the family Palaemonidae. While it is a valued species in wild capture fisheries, it can be considered a pest or an unwanted intruder in closed-system aquaculture facilities where it competes with target species.

This species is widely distributed along the Atlantic coast, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea. In aquaculture environments, these prawns can infiltrate intake systems, leading to unexpected colonization of nursery tanks. Their presence represents a biological risk factor that demands constant monitoring and management of the water quality and inflow parameters.

The biology of the species involves a complex metamorphosis starting from planktonic larvae that are easily transported by water currents. Adult prawns are opportunistic scavengers and predators that exhibit high survival rates in controlled conditions. Their ability to thrive on minimal organic input makes them difficult to eliminate once they are established in a tank system.

The damage caused by Leander serratus is primarily related to interspecific competition for food resources and direct predation on smaller larvae of valuable species. Furthermore, they can act as vectors for various aquatic pathogens, potentially leading to outbreaks of disease among the main cultivated stock, thus threatening the profitability of the operation.

Effective management and protection measures include:

• Installation of fine-mesh filtration units on all water intake points to block larvae.
• Routine maintenance and disinfection of all tanks to disrupt the breeding cycle.
• Application of species-specific traps to reduce adult population density.
• Maintaining strict environmental conditions that favor the target species while discouraging crustacean growth.