Remember when I went flounder gigging? Well, tried…mostly I was just wading around playing like I was a 12 year old. I mentioned seeing a lot and even catching some shrimp, and wanting to do it again, specifically targeting shrimp.

Well I noticed one shrimp that was much larger than the rest, and was oddly colored. I thought it was odd enough that I took a few pictures, and tossed the shrimp into a baggie and put it into the freezer.

Lucky me! While doing some research for the recreational shrimping post, I ran across this:

FWC asks fishermen to report giant tiger prawn

Basically, if you see one, let them know…

If you catch any giant tiger prawn, the FWC requests you report size, date and location of the capture, preferably with the GPS coordinates, to Larry Connor at 352-357-2398 or ExoticReports@MyFWC.com. Fishermen also are asked to either keep the shrimp for collection or take photos of them for identification purposes.

So I reported it and became a part of history, on a very minor scale… (worth opening)

(Please note I didn’t mention that while I was trying to gig flounder, I didn’t get any…but that wasn’t part of the information they requested, thankfully. A man has to shore up his pride any way he can these days!)

It made me wonder what was going on with these things. What exactly IS a “Giant Tiger Prawn”? Where did it originate? And how did it end up in my local waters and in MY freezer? And most importantly (being a Hillbilly), can I eat it? I had to find out, particularly the last one…a giant shrimp-like creature that I can catch less than a mile from my house? Oh PLEASE let it taste like shrimp!

Good news! The answer to some of my initial questions end up answering my driving concern. From the FWC release:

Native to Southeast Asia and Australia, the large (8 to 12 inches long) shrimp was first introduced into U.S. waters in 1988 after an accidental release of about 2,000 shrimp from an aquaculture facility in Bluffton, S.C. About 10 percent of those that were released were later recaptured, some as far south as Cape Canaveral.

HOLY JUMPING BOOGERS! A TWELVE inch shrimp? I understand there may be some local negative impact…..like I’m eating shrimp 6 days a week! I’m used to eating 25/30, 25 to 30 shrimp per pound. These are 1/2’s! Shrimp steak, anyone?

Joking aside, the scientists are uncertain as to what impact, if any, they may have. It is known that they are larger and more aggressive than local shrimp varieties, so may end up replacing our local shrimp some day. Their growth stalls out in water temps lower than 68 degrees. This means any found in my area may take years to achieve the 12 inch size -bummer. Reported sightings have been infrequent and scattered from North Carolina all the way around Florida over to Texas. I’m no scientist, but if they originated in NC, and are now in TX…my guess is that they are here to stay.

Looks like a good time to find a “Giant Tiger Prawn-stuffed Lionfish” recipe! Or possible a “Lionfish-stuffer Giant Tiger Prawn” recipe! Either way I’m going to do my part and eat every one I can manage to invite to my table.

I wonder if I can find a recipe for that invasive “Snowbird” I keep hearing about……

Peace,
db