Japanese Kuruma Shrimp (Penaeus japonicus)

Native to the Indian Ocean and the Southwestern Pacific Ocean from Japan to Australia, kuruma shrimp are farmed in Japan, Taiwan, China and Australia. Live kuruma shrimp bring outrageously high prices in Japan, as high as $100 a pound. It's easy to ship live animals, they mature and spawn in ponds, and they continue growing at lower water temperatures than any other farmed species, down to 10 °C. They require clean, sandy bottoms and high protein diets (52 to 60%). Markets are limited to Japan (Rosenberry, 1997).