Legislature names brine shrimp official state crustacean

Brine Shrimp were named the Utah State Crustation on Friday March 17, by Gov. Spencer Cox.

SALT LAKE CITY — The state of Utah has a new animal symbol after the legislature introduced brine shrimp as the official crustacean. Gov. Spencer Cox signed it into law on Friday.

A private contractor harvesting brine shrimp cysts on the Great Salt Lake.

Brine shrimp are tiny crustaceans that inhabit salty waters of the Great Salt Lake. They can also be found in other salty waters around the world.

The Great Salt Lake crustaceans range in size from ⅓ of an inch to a ½ inch and their eggs (called cysts) are harvested by private companies to use as food for fish and commercially-grown shrimp.

Harvest of the brine shrimp cysts are a multi-million dollar industry in Utah, and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources manages the brine shrimp population and regulates harvest to help balance a unique ecosystem. The Great Salt Lake supplies over 40% of the worldwide demand for tiny crustaceans, which has an economic impact globally, as well.

The lake and its associated wetlands provide a valuable food source to around 10 million migrating birds that pass through Utah. A variety of these birds feed on the brine shrimp in the Great Salt Lake, either exclusively or opportunistically, to fuel their long migrations.

Brine shrimp play important roles in the Great Salt Lake ecosystem by eating the algae in the lake. The adult shrimp typically freeze and die each December, while the cysts will survive and hatch in March.

The importance of the brine shrimp in the Great Salt Lake ecosystem can’t be overstated,” DWR Great Salt Lake Ecosystem Program Manager John Luft said. “We are thrilled about the designation of the brine shrimp as the state crustacean and the attention they are getting for their role at the Great Salt Lake.”

Low lake levels can result in higher salinity (salt concentrations) of the water, which would subsequently decrease the algae that are consumed by the brine shrimp and brine flies. Decreases in algae will ultimately impact the brine shrimp and brine flies, which would then have impacts on the birds that rely on them for food.

Additionally, high salinities can directly impact brine shrimp by increasing the osmoregulation demands, which reduces their reproductive capacity and limits their growth.

Brine Shrimp cysts dwarfed by a dime.

In addition to the brine shrimp, the golden eagle was named the state bird of prey last year, and in 2019, the Gila monster was designated the official state reptile.

Just as brine shrimp are dependent upon the lake’s functioning environment for survival, so are the 21 harvest companies at the north arms of the lake that are in the process of harvesting them.

Commercial harvesting of brine shrimp from the Great Salt Lake began in 1950.

Companies wishing to harvest shrimp in the Great Salt Lake must purchase a Certificate of Registration (COR) every year. Seventy-nine Certificates of Registration are available to purchase each year.

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