Most Popular Seafood in the U.S. Now Being Farmed in 100's of Indoor Pools Across the U.S.

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The drive through Triple J Farms outside St. Louis, Missouri, is pretty much what you'd expect. A long gravel road winds past fields of soybeans and an occasional Caterpillar construction vehicle in an expansive meadow, before arriving at a red, metal-sided barn. But inside, instead of being filled with typical barn accouterments like tractors, work boots and shovels, it's filled with, well, shrimp.

Fourteen aboveground pools of shrimp, to be exact, are flanked by an inordinate amount of hoses, buckets and fans that make it possible to churn out 5,000 pounds of Pacific white shrimp each year—700 miles from the nearest ocean.

The operation is about as under the radar as it gets. Orders for Jeff Howell's shrimp (sold under the brand Triple J Farms) have had a 2-month-long waiting list despite Howell doing no advertising outside of a few social media posts and a handful of community news articles. (As of publication, they are currently open to the public for orders without the wait.) Howell believes people want to know where their food comes from, and says that when he gives tours, visitors often become instant customers after he talks about overfishing and the perils of the global shrimp industry.

But it's the freshness and unparalleled taste of his shrimp that seals the deal—"along with the goofy little cooking videos I post on social media," he laughs. "Not many people around here have prepared a whole, head-on shrimp, so I thought it would be beneficial to show how easy it is to cook them." Clearly, his small-scale tactics are having a big impact. "We don't do any advertising," he says, "but people knock on our door constantly. Even with our closed sign, they still show up."

For all the head-scratching such an operation may inspire, Triple J is not alone in their quest to bring shrimp, the most consumed seafood product in the U.S., to landlocked parts of the country in creative, DIY setups that often look like indoor swimming centers.

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Despite U.S. seafood farming being recognized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as one of the most environmentally sustainable ways to produce food, we import 1.5 billion pounds of shrimp annually from countries including India, Thailand, Ecuador and Indonesia. Half of the seafood the U.S. imports comes from aquaculture, and the global aquaculture industry increased by 527% between 1990 and 2018.

This growth has sometimes come with a steep cost. Mangrove forests, tangles of trees and shrubs that grow along the coasts in tropical and subtropical regions, are often turned into shrimp farms. Ocean advocacy organization Oceana says farms built in these vital ecosystems have destroyed natural habitats for birds, mammals and fish. The nonprofit also mentions pollution of coastal systems from the runoff of heavy antibiotic use, as well as human trafficking and labor violations, all tied to shrimp aquaculture.

From an environmental perspective, says Brune, "Most U.S. shrimp growers are operating at zero or near zero discharge, and aren't polluting a body of water, since U.S. laws don't allow for water discharge. And most, if not all, do not use chemicals or antibiotics."

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Getting your shrimp fresh, not frozen, makes a big difference in flavor and texture, and there are environmental and economic benefits that come from supporting community farming models. But for most consumers, price plays a big role in purchasing decisions. Buying local is an important consideration, but not everyone will be able to afford these shrimp. As Brune points out, "Imported seafood is at a $1 to $2 a pound production cost. If we go to indoor systems, we're talking about $3 to $5 a pound production cost. If people pay $8 a pound for shrimp, a local grower can't compete with that, as they're charging around $20 a pound. People have to make a decision to pay a higher price for a local product if these guys are to survive."

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