This is also one of the important reasons why Xiang Yang was determined not to take the harp seal back.
Harp seals, which are used to eating Antarctic krill and other cold-water fish, are almost impossible to keep alive after being brought back.
After all, after leaving Antarctica, Xiang Yang had no way to catch krill for the harp seal.
Adult krill are only suitable for living in waters with higher temperatures and lower salinity. Their suitable temperature range is only between 0.64 degrees Celsius and 1.32 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is greater than 1.80 degrees Celsius, it may bring fatal danger to them.
Therefore, Antarctic krill are only suitable for living in the relatively cold waters around Antarctica, and no trace of Antarctic krill can be found in the sea far away from Antarctica.
"Brother Yang, how about we not feed it Antarctic krill this time and give it something better?" Fang Youqun suddenly asked.
Xiang Yang suddenly burst out laughing, "Do you think Antarctic krill is not a nutritious seafood?"
In fact, Antarctic krill has extremely high nutritional value.
Although Antarctic krill is a shrimp, its shell is made of the same material as the shells of crustaceans and insects.
After catching Antarctic krill, harp seals are able to use special enzymes to degrade chitin to obtain energy.
In addition, Antarctic krill is also very precious to humans.
For example, disease control, prevention and elimination rely on vaccines and chemotherapeutic substances, all of which require Antarctic krill.
Some diseases have yet to be effectively treated. For example, there are no clear and effective prevention or treatment measures for diseases that have occurred in the Chilean salmon farming industry or diseases that have seriously affected the shrimp farming industry worldwide, but the shells of Antarctic krill can cure that disease.
In addition, Antarctic krill can also promote the intake of substances that promote animal immune function.
The shell material of Antarctic krill includes complex polysaccharides such as chitosan.
Chitosan is a derivative of chitin, which is found in krill. Chitosan can be added to feed or injected as an immunostimulant for salmon and trout. Chitin has been shown to be a stimulant for many organisms to enhance the immune system, and krill is one of the sources of chitin.
Someone once did an experiment in which they fed Antarctic krill to ordinary shrimp.
In experiments, adding krill to the feed can greatly enhance the growth rate of shrimp.
In addition, studies have shown that adding krill to the diet of salmon and trout can directly promote the health of their spawning and reproduction, reducing mortality and pathogens.
Other applications of krill include capsule food for juvenile shrimp and prawns, special ingredients in feeding marine and tropical fish, and as an attractant to increase feeding amount.
In addition, Antarctic krill can also be made into Antarctic krill jerky.
Dried Antarctic krill is made from selected high-quality precious live shrimps grown in the pollution-free cold waters of Antarctica. It is a real green food. It plays an important role in the food chain of the Southern Ocean. It is food for seals, whales, penguins and various fish. It is also an important marine biological resource.
Dried Antarctic krill is made by processing freshly caught krill within 1 to 5 hours, and is processed by freeze-vacuum drying under sterile conditions.
Dried Antarctic krill fully retains the rich nutrients and excellent taste of shrimp.
Since Antarctic krill dried shrimp is a pure natural substance without any additives, it is still the best fish feed. Fish can easily absorb it, and the enzymes contained in krill promote fish digestion, and the water quality can be kept clean for a long time.
Xiang Yang said all of this.
Fang Youqun was stunned when he heard this. "How can these Antarctic krill that are everywhere be so precious?"
"Affordable price doesn't mean there are no good products. After all, the market believes that scarcity makes things valuable. When yellow croaker was abundant, it was very cheap. Look at the price of yellow croaker now." Xiang Yang said with a smile.
It can be said that Antarctic krill is absolutely first-class aquatic product, except that its shell will produce a substance harmful to the human body after death.
Fang Youqun nodded quickly, "Okay, then we'll feed it Antarctic krill in the next few days."
"Well, let's do this. Get a bigger water tank and put some large ice cubes in it. Let it stay in the water tank first. Then clean its wound twice. After new flesh grows on its wound, the seal will be safe." Xiang Yang said with a smile.
It is the nature of seals to bite ice, but now that they have lost their teeth, they naturally can no longer bite.
After the harp seal recovers from its wounds, it will simply have a little more difficulty hunting. Fortunately, there are a large number of Antarctic krill in this sea area, so it will not starve to death.
Although the crew members were reluctant to part with this poor and cute seal, since Xiang Yang had already spoken, they naturally did not dare to object.
Gao Chuang watched the whole thing from beginning to end. He was amazed and said, "This is the first time I've seen someone release a harp seal after catching it. Do you know how much its fur is worth?"
Xiang Yang smiled and said, "Boss Gao, let's not discuss this. Harp seals are considered to be numerous among all seals, but even so, there are only a few left. These are species that are about to become extinct. Let's just let them go."
"It's your people who captured him anyway, so you can do whatever you want with him," Gao Chuang said casually.
Gao Chuang then tightened his winter clothing, looked at the sky anxiously and said, "Why do I feel like the snow is getting heavier? Please don't freeze the entire sea surface, or we'll be in real trouble."
"Don't we have an icebreaker?" Fang Youqun asked puzzledly.
"The role of the icebreaker is to help us clear some frozen sections of the waterway, but it does not allow us to sail directly on the ice. It is not a nuclear-powered icebreaker." Gao Chuang said helplessly.
The reason why these icebreakers have gradually changed from scientific research to civilian use, and some have even been converted into tourist sightseeing ships, is that they have been eliminated by scientific research laboratories.
Nowadays, the icebreakers used in Antarctica by powerful countries are almost all nuclear-powered.
Xiang Yang smiled and said, "Don't worry, if it was going to freeze, this sea would have frozen long ago. There's no need to wait until now."
"I hope so." Gao Chuang said worriedly.
Xiang Yang smiled and said nothing. In Xiang Yang's opinion, this was just an ordinary snowfall at most. As long as there was no snowstorm, a little snow would not pose any threat to Xiang Yang.
However, because of the heavy snow, the temperature became even colder.
Even though Xiang Yang was wearing thick winter clothes, he still felt his hands and feet getting cold, and his face was red from the cold.
"Let's have some Antarctic krill later," Xiang Yang suggested.
Antarctic krill contains various nutritious metal elements, including calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, etc. needed by the human body.
In addition, krill eyeballs are rich in carotene, and eating some can help keep out the cold.