Tennessee home to fledgling shrimp farming industry

TENNESSEE - Shrimping in Tennessee. Hundreds of miles from the ocean, who would've figured it? But there are about 20 farmers in the state raising freshwater shrimp. Technically they're Malaysian prawns.

The 2005 harvest is just completed and farmers say many consumers don't yet know about their crop. Or the fact that the freshwater shrimp have a milder, more-lobster-like taste than their saltwater cousins.

Supporters hope the freshwater shrimp industry will grow like the catfish industry has. Last year there were more than 300 million pounds of farm-raised catfish sold in the US.

Some farmers who have tried raising shrimp have quit saying they are too hard to sell or don't bring in enough money.

Source: wbir.com