Throughout the world, pond production of freshwater shrimp is usually based on culture of Marobrachium rosenbergii, which is native to the Indo-Pacific region. The tropical nature of the species hinders production in cooler climates. In Louisiana, the major constraints to production include cost and availability of post-larvae for stocking and temperature intolerance.

Although other prawn species are indigenous to the southern United States, they do not reach the size of the Malaysian Prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii). This quality makes the Malaysian Prawn an attractive option for producers.

The final phase of freshwater prawn (shrimp) production is grow-out of juveniles to adults for market as a food product. This publication provides guidelines for stocking and managing a fresh water prawn production pond.

Proper design and construction of ponds is critical to the success of a commercial catfish operation. Well-designed ponds, constructed on soil with proper clay content and adequate water supply, have a useful life of at least 10 years.

To be profitable, an aquaculture pond must be sited properly and designed for efficiency. An inaccessible location, leaks in the pond, poor seining conditions, or lack of good quality water will doom an aquaculture enterprise to failure.

Considerable thought and planning should go into selecting sites for commercial fish production ponds. Construction costs, ease and cost of operation, and productivity can be greatly affected by the site selected.