Man and parents grow saltwater shrimp in central Ohio

GRATIOT, Ohio (AP) — In the village straddling Licking and Muskingum counties, a large building is tucked away on a quiet road less than a quarter-mile north of Interstate 70.

With several large garage doors and simple gray siding, the structure is unassuming, but three little words on the blue sign at the gate of the property would make many do a double-take:

Each tank, about 14 feet in diameter, holds about 250 to 300 pounds of all-natural Pacific white leg shrimp.

Started by 23-year-old Ashtyn Chen, a Cambridge native, the facility uses a biofloc system, where water is filtered naturally with bacteria, and oxygen, temperature, salinity, pH levels and other conditions can be manipulated to the shrimp's liking.

Growing up, Chen was constantly watching television shows about animals and the ocean and always had an interest in marine biology, his mother, Carol Chen, said.

Chen's parents own a Chinese restaurant in Zanesville, and he hopes to give them an alternative to the busy restaurant industry they've worked in for more than 30 years.

Prawn farms have become popular, with about 25 in Ohio, but saltwater shrimp farms are fairly new, said Matthew Smith, extension aquaculture specialist at Ohio State University's South Centers in Piketon.

Growing shrimp in places like Ohio can take some pressure off of the world's oceans, especially given concerns about carbon dioxide and overfishing, Chen said.