Superjumbo shrimp—some nearly the length of an adult human hand—grown in a UAB lab could provide one solution to feeding the world’s growing appetite.
A research team led by UAB biology professor Stephen Watts, Ph.D. (pictured below, at left), made this giant leap by developing a polyculture system, in which sea urchins provide food for the shrimp through their healthy, nutrient-rich waste pellets. The shrimp grew larger and faster than they did on traditional feed.
Watts calls the discovery a breakthrough for aquaculture—a step toward creating an affordable, environmentally sustainable method of farming food that can provide protein for a rising global population. But how do the supersized shrimp taste? After preparing a dish with the shrimp as the main ingredient, acclaimed chef Chris Hastings (pictured below, at right) of Birmingham’s Hot and Hot Fish Club and OvenBird gave them big praise, declaring “the flavor, the texture, everything” to be “world-class.”
