Aquaculture: Prawns

A hand holding prawns

Commercial production of freshwater shrimp or prawn (Machrobrachium rosenbergii) has been the subject of research and commercial enterprise in the United States for several decades. This species is native to the tropical Indo-Pacific region of the world. Basic production techniques were developed in the late 1950s in Malaysia, and in the United States, Israel, and several Asian countries during the last three decades. Production of freshwater prawns in Mississippi requires a permit from the Mississippi Department of agriculture and Commerce.

In 1984, the MSU Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (MAFES) initiated an extensive research program to develop and evaluate management practices for the establishment of a commercial freshwater prawn industry. Research and on-farm demonstration projects to date have proven that this could be a profitable enterprise in Mississippi. The availability of juveniles, once a major limitation to the establishment of the industry, is no longer a constraint with several new producers in business. The remaining limitation to successful commercialization appears to be the establishment of consistent marketing channels. Although the commercial production of prawns is currently limited in the state, the potential is real and it appears to be only a matter of time before commercial prawn production is a viable component of the Mississippi aquaculture industry.

MSU Publications & Information

Other Freshwater Prawns Information