Beech Tree News Network

History of Shrimp- I love shrimp. That part in Forrest Gump where Forrest and Bubba started a shrimping business was awesome.  I did not get the idea for this piece by watching Forest Gump, however.  I do love that movie, but that’s beside the point. 
The shrimp’s name was derived from the Middle English word shrimpe, which meant “pygmy”.  History shows as far back as the 7th century travelers like Marco Polo mentioned shrimp being a staple part of the East Asian diet (Chinese) in Louisiana, harvesting of shrimp dates back to the 17th century where bayou residents used seines up to 600 feet in diameter to scoop up the delicacy. 
Currently the U.S. harvests over half a million pounds of shrimp and imports another 200 million pounds a year, more than any other country.  Typically, there are more than 2,000 species of shrimp in the world but in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic waters there are five species of shrimp that are commercially harvested. 
Four of those species are recognized by their shell color (pink, white, brown, and royal red) and the fifth specie is known as the “Rock shrimp”. It is a smaller deep-water shrimp with a tough, rock-hard shell. I bet some fellow wrestling fans just said “If you smell what the Rock is cookin’” just now. It is common for Shrimp to be mistaken for Prawns.  In some areas, jumbo shrimp are referred to as prawns, but the prawn is actually a completely different species in the lobster family.
 Shrimp can be caught in the wild or farm-raised. Shrimp that is caught in its natural habitat are found in bays, estuaries, and oceans. Shrimp can be grown in a controlled environment in Aquaculture. Shrimp grown in Aquaculture are also known as pond-raised, cultured, or maricultured.  The eggs and larvae of the Shrimp are gathered from their natural environment or grown in hatcheries after removed from a female’s brood stock. The shrimp are then raised to maturity in tanks or ponds (usually shallow ponds)
Worldwide, over 300 species of shrimp have commercial value, but only a few species are important to the market in the U.S. They basically fall under three groups: cold water shrimp, warm water shrimp, and freshwater shrimp. Admit it, you read that last sentence like Bubba, didn’t you? My family birthday supper in Tennessee this past May was at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville where I had fish and, you guessed it, shrimp.  In fact, I even received a very one of a kind gift from my sister and brother-in-law, of which I enclosed a picture.  It’s very fitting.  Happy shrimping!

Hello.  My name is Andy Sullivan.  I received my bachelor’s degree in business from Mid-Continent University in June 2009.  I began writing for Beech Tree News in July 2009.  I enjoy writing, photography, watching basketball and football, and playing guitar.  I also write a blog that encompasses sports and entertainment, called Sports and More, at http://andyuk79.tumblr.com If you have any comments, please leave them in the space below.  Thanks for reading!