STONEVILLE, MS -- Dr. Louis D'Adramo, working with the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries at Mississippi State in Starkville, and his staff have taken a concept of farm raising prawns to its next level.

On Tuesday, D'Adramo and fellow associates seined two 21/2-acre ponds at Stoneville Research and Experiment Station's Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center pond facility. This was the first commercial-sized harvest of prawns for the university. From preliminary findings, officials say it was a successful one.

Prawns are edible crustaceans similar to, but larger than, shrimp.

They were introduced into the converted catfish ponds as juveniles measuring about a half inch in length. This breed was chosen for its fast-growing nature, and because it is a particularly hearty species of prawn imported from the Indo-Pacific region especially for farm raising.

With minimal maintenance and low feed cost, D'Adramo said, prawns would be an excellent second crop for catfish producers. In four to five months, a prawn producer should easily be able to cash in on his investment, he said.

Although prawns grow better on natural foods, which they prefer, feed is readily available in the region, using a 32 percent protein catfish feed. According to D'Adramo, that acts more as a fertilizer by attracting worms, grubs and insects that prawns feed on naturally.

It is estimated that 1,500 to 1,600 pounds of medium prawns will be harvested from each of the ponds during this first season, using a low-density stocking formula. The breed tends to grow larger under less-stressful conditions.

This first harvest research shows that this particular breed is as tolerant as catfish to dissolved oxygen. An average of 800 to 900 pounds of prawns can be marketed per acre, with wholesale prices ranging from $4 to $5 per pound.

Mississippi State University has been evaluating on a smaller scale the developmental feasibility of farm-raised prawns for several years. This first crop will be processed by the university and used for two 10-week marketing studies.

Testing will be done on comparative pricing with shrimp, and consumer reactions in side-by-side tests with heads-on and heads-off sales.

Bill Johnson can be reached at 662-378-0725, or e-mail bill@deltanewsroom.com.