Fresh water shrimp

A new aquaculture event is developing in East Tennessee. A group of people are replacing their tobacco business with fresh water shrimp. I am not sure what the investment entails, but it has to be expensive. They are developing ponds and hope to grow shrimp to market size within less than one year. Sounds like a great idea to replace tobacco with a healthy low carbo shrimp.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

What does one do with a freshwater shrimp? And where could I sample some now ?

My guess is that you do with freshwater shrimp the same thing you do with salt water shrimp. You cook them and eat them.

The Knoxville News Sentinel featured a farmer in Johnson City Tennessee, which is about 70 miles from Knoxvllle. This farmer had converted his tobacco fields into shrimp farms. They grow sort of large. He was making more from his aquaculture venture than he was earning from tobacco.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I don't image its much different than farm raised catfish. Isn't some of the shrimp that comes from Asia now farm raised?

Some markets here sell freshwater shrimp------they seem to be somewhat hyped. I've tried them and they seem ok, although articles I've read usually claim they are somewhat tasteless. Most now seem to come from Asia.

quote:

Originally posted by seafarer john

What does one do with a freshwater shrimp? And where could I sample some now ?

I use them for bait.

Rich-Seapak has farmed shrimp for years in Georgia, although I suspect they're saltwater ponds. There was a group raising these odd Vietnamese shrimp in Red Bluff, CA about ten years ago; they were the size of small lobsters. The meat was sweet enough, but they weren't very "shrimpy", which is a defect in my mind. Some people like bland seafood, though.

Shellfish aquaculture is, in my opinion, generally much more successful than finfish culture. I won't touch farmed salmon, and I eat fish 4X/week.

Eric

Fresh water shrimp probably will not compare to salt water, however it is an alternative. The aquaculture farmer I referred to in an earlier post reports he sells out his entire production and is adding more ponds.

As the oceans are overfished, it appears to me that these alternatives have to be explored, improved and perhaps they will become like the American midwest in corn and soybean production. From what I have read, the oceans are being depleted of the huge fishstocks that once were huge. An example would be the Bay of Fundy between Maine and Nova Scotia. This fertile bay contained one of the largest concentrations of haddock, pollock and cod in the world. Russian fish ships now stay off the territorial limits of Canada and USA and send out smaller ships with miles of nets, trap the fish and haul them back to the mother ships which process the fish and ship them back to Russia or other markets. The once plentiful waters of these wonderful fish are now depleted and fisherman of NS, ME and NB now operate whale watching boats. I know this to be a fact as I have observed these ships on numerous birdwatching trips into the bay of Fundy where tour boats came within a short distance of these mother ships.

Perhaps the freshwater shrimp, catfish, shell fish and salmon farms will be the only way that in the future, seafood will be available.

Sorry for the long post, but I was just trying to explain why these type of ventures will be necessary.

Paul E. Smith
knoxville, TN

Ugh, a life of nothing but farmed fish. I think I'd give up entirely.

Overfishing is a serious problem, no doubt about it. There are lots of sustainable harvests, though, so it's really a question of keeping an eye on what's considered a healthy run. I eat a lot of alaska salmon, as the runs are very vigorous, and the quality of the line-caught fish is very high. Columbia and Trask River salmon runs aren't as vigorous, but the limited commercial harvest produces some of the best fish ever, so I imbibe and periodically donate to habitat restoration causes. ;0)

My big concerns with finfish aquaculture are around where the poop goes and what happens when the imported genes mix with the native fish. The island paradise I live on is home to a salmon farm, and there's these big pens floating out in the sound, filled with thousands of salmon stacked gill-to-gill. Salmon farms generate immense amounts of salmonpoop, which has to go somewhere (and usually ends up causing algae problems in the near vicinity). They also spread disease, so most farmed salmon has to be dosed with subtherapuetic antibiotics, a la chicken, which isn't good from a food safety perspective, and these diseases can spread to wild fish swimming by.

The real concern though is intermingling of the gene pool. While strides have been made in breeding "sterile" triploid salmon, what's grown in the Pacific NW is primarily Atlantic Salmon, which are competitors for food and spawning resources with our local salmonids, already a pretty decimated bunch. When these pens fail, and they do, tens of thousands of hungry predators are unleashed on local ecosystems. Just like annoying neighbors, they eat your food, they trash your house and they sleep with your partner. *sigh* All in all, farmed salmon isn't doing anyone any favors, aside from driving down the price of ocean-caught fish for those of us who insist on it.

Eric, Planning A Salmon Lunch

How is the taste of the fresh water shrimp different as opposed to gulf/salt water shrimp?

From what I read in the papers here, the shrimpers are not very happy with the Vietnemese "Tiger" shrimp imports. Many of the restaurants here specify whether those types of shrimp are used in any dishes.

They are fine for asian/heavily spiced dishes. I've found them to be really bland though when used as peel-and-eat or in shrimp cockails.

These is slightly less taste and they are larger. With all dishes except shrimp cocktail, I do not believe you will notice the difference.

It is an alternative.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

With enough butter and garlic, even snails taste good. ;0)

I concur that they're light on flavor, but they are meaty and would work well in highly spiced dishes. Given that some people don't like their seafood too "seafoody", these may be an advance. The blanding of America.

Eric

I'm sure that many Road Fooders aren't aware of this, but most of the Shrimp and Prawns we've been eating are Fresh Water Species. The "Tiger Prawns", "White Shimp" and "Fresh Water Prawns" are all cultivated and extremely popular at supermarkets and restaurants. They are very consistent for quality and year round prices so are featured at most chain operations.

fresh water shrimp coming out of China etc list salt as an ingrediant.
it is not table type salt but preservatives, my wife got very sick they have very little taste. Same goes for scallops. Some stores carry USA and most carry oriental. check the back of the package

I try to avoid all imported seafood and consider it a very wise thing to do- I epecially do not purchase the stuff coming in from China and Indonesia- no taste, additives for preservation and it's UNAMERICAN! Give me wild caught seafood- always lots of taste and you at least have a recourse if there is something wrong with the product....stuff from overseas- not inspected as rigidly as here and who is there to send a complaint to? No One! All seafood is not equal! Check all bags for "country of origin" before you put it in your cart. If the Chinese are as lacksadaisical with food exports as they are with toys....the consequences could be horrific!

My original post had more to do with the farm raised shrimp that is being done in the southern USA and probably more specific to Tennessee.

The farmers feel much like the catfish farmers do in Mississippi in that their product is very healthy.

The shrimp farmers in this part of the country can only raise one crop a years as they do not survive when the temp drops 40F or below.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I meant to get some prawns this year Paul and missed the season some how. I think there's a farm about 30 minutes from me in Greene county. Hopefully will remember next year...how about somebody bumping this post a little earlier next year ;-)