Shrimps are subject to great consumer demand in the United States. However, more than #1 billion worth of shrimp is now imported; more than twice the amount produced domestically. Domestic shrimp production, mostly from the trawler fleet in the Gulf of Mexico, is thought to be at its maximum sustainable yield of 91,000 MT (heads-off). Increased production of shrimp in the U.S. through mariculture has been motivated by the increasing demand for this product.

The biology of penaeid shrimp and lack of technology for their culture present special problems in fisheries science, reproductive...