November 2010 Articles

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Producers need the facts about freshwater prawns before jumping in

Producers need the facts about freshwater prawns before jumping in Source: LSU AgCenter
Louisiana farmers who are tempted to get into the business of producing freshwater shrimp in ponds need to get all the facts and proceed with caution, according to Greg Lutz, an aquaculture specialist with the LSU AgCenter. The LSU AgCenter began research with this species, also referred to as freshwater prawns, almost 30 years ago, Lutz said. Over the past decade researchers in states such as Kentucky and Mississippi also have focused on improving the economics of freshwater prawn production, but many problems still remain to be solved before this species can be expected to produce consistent profits in Louisiana ponds. “The main problem with raising freshwater prawns in the Southeast involves their tropical nature,” Lutz said. “This limits the growing season to just five months in most of Louisiana. Prawns become stressed at 65 degrees, and death begins to occur at about 60 degrees.” Although producers in Louisiana and other southeastern states would have to leave prawns in ponds as long as possible to maximize their size at harvest, they all would have to be harvested in the fall before temperatures drop to lethal levels.
“This results in marketing problems because few outlets are available for this type of one-time sale,” Lutz said. “And freshwater prawns do not freeze as well as saltwater shrimp.” If they’re considering raising prawns, producers must identify their market outlets prior to stocking ponds, he said. If not, they may not even be able to recoup their production costs. Another marketing issue involves variation in individual sizes of prawns because many animals are too small to market, even after a long growing season. “Higher stocking rates tend to increase the overall harvest, but higher densities reduce the average size of individual prawns,” Lutz said. “Breakeven prices calculated from research trials in Mississippi ranged from $3.40 to $10 per pound – well beyond typical wholesale prices for saltwater shrimp.” The aquaculture specialist warned that the same global competition faced by commercial shrimpers across the Gulf makes marketing all but the largest freshwater prawns extremely difficult, especially with a limited window of opportunity for selling a fresh product in the fall months. Freshwater prawns are not native to Louisiana, but they are recognized as a domesticated species by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. “A fish farmer’s permit is all that is required for their culture,” Lutz said. “And although there are no prawn hatcheries in Louisiana, several commercial sources of juvenile prawns exist in other states.” Individuals who want to learn more about the potential & constraints associated with freshwater prawn production can contact their LSU AgCenter office or visit the AgCenter’s website at www.lsuagcenter.com & type prawns in the search box.