“We're still in (the) infancy of indoor shrimp farming,” she said. “That's made it really hard for new farms that are interested in starting up in the aftermath of COVID to have the confidence that they'll be able to have all the supplies and resources they need to run a successful business,” Shambach said.īut Shambach said challenges are to be expected in a new industry. Many farms closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters on the coasts that disrupted Midwest farmers’ ability to purchase shrimp larvae. Shrimp from the Midwest makes up less than 1% of the U.S. “To be able to raise a high valued seafood product in people's backyard is just really an amazing opportunity for farmers,” she said.īut Shambach explained the industry has a long way to go. Though commercial shrimp farms first came to the United States in the 1960s, about 90% of the shrimp Americans eat is still imported, said Amy Shambach, aquaculture marketing outreach associate for the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant.Īs consumers start to prioritize sustainability and freshness when shopping for seafood, Shambach said inland shrimp farming can fill the need. Over the past 15 years, a couple dozen indoor shrimp facilities have opened in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and other Midwestern states.Įxperts say aquaculture, a method used to produce aquatic organisms in controlled conditions, can be a new market for farmers. Howell isn’t the only landlocked shrimp farmer, though.
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