Tadpole Shrimps Fairy Shrimps and Clam Shrimps and Water Fleas: Branchiopoda

Eggs of fairy shrimp are collected, cleaned, dried, packed, and sold to pet stores and fish farms as food for fish. They also provide people living in parts of Libya with their major source of animal protein. Two species from the hills of northeastern Thailand are fished by local people and used in a variety of dishes. The tadpole shrimps are sometimes considered pests of rice fields. In large numbers, these animals expose and eat the roots of rice seedlings as they roam the bottom in search of food. However, in Japan, Triops longicaudatus is used to help control weeds in rice fields. Some species of Triops are sold in kits for rearing as pets. Water fleas are a critical link in the food webs of many aquatic habitats and ensure the survival of fish populations.