Domestic Shrimp, Head On

Shrimp are in the infraorder “Caridea.” Shrimp are decapods, of which there are 8500 species. There are 2000 species of shrimp; 15-22 are found in The Gulf of Mexico. Of these species, three are harvested for food. They are the Pink Shrimp, Gulf White Shrimp and the Brown Shrimp (Penaeus Aztecs), which provide about 50% of the 100 Million pounds of shrimp that, are harvested annually from the Gulf.

Shrimping is a 300 year old industry that has really taken off during the last 30 years. Today, commercial fishermen us Otter Trawls, Cast Nets, Seines, and Shrimp Baiting to catch shrimp.

Shrimp spawn in the open water, young shrimp go through several stages of growth, and are eventually carried by ocean currents in estuaries with a lower salt density. As they get older, they go back into the open ocean to spawn. It takes a shrimp about 1 year to reach sexual maturity.

The countries that export the most shrimp are the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean. The countries that consume the most shrimp are the United States and Mexico. Shrimp are an excellent source of Calcium and Protein.