Prawn stars! Indianapolis students start shrimp farm

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – A unique project isn’t just preparing Indianapolis Public Schools students for the work force—it’s also helping them give back to the community.

Animal sciences students at Arsenal Tech High School started a shrimp farm!

They’re raising nearly 2,000 shrimp in a 500-gallon fish tank in the basement at Arsenal Tech. They will feed the crustaceans and maintain the balance of chemicals in the water for the next three to six months, or until the shrimp reach maturity. Organizers say in the few weeks since the project started, the shrimp doubled in size.

Some of the shrimp will go to the school’s culinary arts program. Also, several local restaurants are interested in buying them.

The goal of the shrimp farm is to teach students about sustainability.

It may seem odd they’ve chosen to raise shrimp, but actually there are more than a dozen shrimp farms in Indiana.

Aquaculture is becoming one of the fastest-growing food production industries in the world, partially because the demand for seafood is so high, and there are very low startup costs. Shrimp are great for farming indoors because they’re bottom-feeders, and they require very little maintenance.

A lot of restaurants in Chicago like to buy Indiana shrimp because local shrimp is a fresher alternative than getting it shipped in from thousands of miles away.