EXPERT TOPIC SHRIMP
INTRODUCTION SHRIMP EXPERT TOPIC by Vaughn Entwistle, Features Editor, International Aquafeed
Shrimp are a variety of swimming crustacean that are widespread and abundant thanks to their ability to adapt to all nearly all forms of marine environment. While marine shrimp are typically found near coasts and estuaries, freshwater breeds can be found in many of the worlds’ rivers, lakes and ponds. Shrimp are an essential part of the marine food chain and are consumed by larger animals ranging from fish to whales. They have long been sought after for human consumption, especially in countries and cultures that rely upon seafood for a large part of their diet. Not surprisingly, shrimp were one of the first aquatic species to be intensively farmed and now farmed shrimp account for 55 percent of the shrimp produced globally. About 75 percent of the world’s farmed shrimp are produced in Asia, principally in China followed by Thailand, Indonesia, India, and Vietnam. The other 25 percent is produced in Latin American countries, such as Brazil, Mexico and Ecuador. Shrimp farming is also rapidly growing in many developing countries, such as Bangladesh. Shrimp farming is starting to catch on in the United States, mostly in the southern states (Texas and Florida) that enjoy the kind of warmer climate necessary for shrimp. Here, shrimp are typically raised in earthen ponds similar to those used to raise catfish. While there are thousands of species of shrimp worldwide, only
a small number of these species are commercially significant. All farmed freshwater prawns today belong to the genus Macrobrachium. Until 2000, the only species farmed was the giant river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii, also known as the Malaysian prawn). Since then, China has begun farming the Oriental river prawn (M. nipponense) in large quantities, while India farms a small amount of monsoon river prawn (M. malcolmsonii). In 2003, these three species accounted for all farmed freshwater prawns, about two-thirds M. rosenbergii and one-third M. nipponense. One of the most popular species is the Macrobrachium rosenbergii, the Giant Malaysian Prawn, which is a freshwater prawn, native of South Asia. The farming of freshwater shrimp shares some similarities and some differences to marine shrimp, although most of the complications in farming freshwater shrimp relate to the developmental life cycle of the shrimp, which may require brackish water to survive in their larval stage, but then the shrimp must be moved to fresh water as they reach maturity. Inland hatcheries produce brackish water by mixing freshwater with seawater transported from the coast, brine trucked from salt pans, or artificial seawater. Freshwater prawns are reared in a variety of freshwater enclosures, including tanks, irrigation ditches, cages, pens, reservoirs, although the commonest form are earthen ponds, which typically supply the best yields for commercial farming. Whether the shrimp are raised in ponds, pools, or containers, it is essential to supply them with a flow of fresh, clean, oxygenated water.
30 | July 2018 - International Aquafeed