The prawn you catch yourself

10 November 2026

Part 4 of 17 · A history of the giant freshwater prawn

In 1991, Taiwan had between 500 and 600 venues where you could pay to fish for giant freshwater prawns. And have your catch cooked on the spot.[1]

The industry behind them was built less by export markets or restaurants than by a pastime. In 1971, the Tungkang Marine Laboratory in Pingtung County, in Taiwan’s south, succeeded in raising the larvae of what the Taiwanese call the Thai prawn, and a farming industry followed.[1][2] By the early 1980s, Pingtung’s prawn farmers, looking for more customers, opened their ponds to the public. In 1983 a local magazine noticed people there suddenly “enthusiastically fishing giant freshwater prawns”.[2]

It moved to the cities. Prawn fishing caught on at farms on the outskirts of Taipei, then at small stalls in the night markets, and then in large indoor halls, where people fished, washed, grilled and ate their catch without leaving the building.[2] Through the late 1980s, venues sprang up along the Gaoping River in Pingtung as farmland turned into prawn ponds.[2] By 1989 Taiwan had more than 200 prawn hatcheries; the larger prawns, over 25 grams, went live to local markets.[3]

The pastime drove the numbers. Taiwan’s farms produced 1,315 tonnes of giant freshwater prawns in 1984 and 16,196 tonnes in 1991, the year the fishing venues peaked.[1][4] The customers did the harvesting, and paid for the privilege. Output fell back after 1991, as disease spread through the ponds,[4] but the pastime stayed. Taiwan still has the world’s highest concentration of prawn-fishing venues, some open 24 hours, some offering stir-fry, barbecue and karaoke alongside the rods.[1]

If you are ever in Taiwan, look for the characters 釣蝦場 (diàoxiāchǎng, a prawn-fishing ground). Taipei has a cluster in Shilin, just past the National Palace Museum. An hour buys you a rod, a plastic chair and a bucket of bait, and you eat only what you catch.[6]

The regulars know what they are after. Some especially prize large males of 75 grams or more, for the jolt they put on the line, and at least one Taipei venue keeps a separate pool just for males.[1][7]

Which leaves the farms that stock the pools with a question: where do the jumbos come from? Raised together, from the same hatch, only a few males grow into giants, and most of the rest never do.[5] In the 1980s, scientists set out to learn why in Hawaii and… Israel.[8][9]

Sources

1. Taiwan Panorama, The joy of shrimps: Taiwan’s prawn fishing culture (republished by Taiwan News). Tungkang Marine Laboratory, 1971; the 1991 peak: 500–600 venues and 16,196 t; venues today; anglers prizing males of 75 g or more. taiwan-panorama.com
2. CommonWealth Magazine, How did Taiwan become a haven for recreational prawn-fishing? (republished by AmCham Taiwan, Taiwan Business TOPICS, 2022). The “Thai prawn”; Pingtung’s opened ponds and the 1983 magazine report; Taipei, night markets and indoor venues; the Gaoping River. topics.amcham.com.tw
3. Liao, I-C., Hsieh, C. H., Chao, N. H., Gomes, L. A. O. (1989), Culture practices and status of the giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, in Taiwan. More than 200 hatcheries; prawns over 25 g sold live. scholars.ntou.edu.tw
4. Cheng and Chen (1998), citing New (1995), as quoted in US Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological risk screening summary: giant river prawn. 1,315 t (1984) to 16,196 t (1991); decline with disease. fws.gov
5. FAO (2009), Cultured aquatic species fact sheet: Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Heterogeneous growth of males. fao.org
6. Culture Trip, A guide to shrimping in Taipei. Shilin; rod, chair and bait by the hour; you eat what you catch. theculturetrip.com
7. Twosevenths, Taipei shrimp fishing venues: 24-hour spots with BBQ and KTV. A dedicated pool for male prawns. twosevenths.com
8. Cohen, D., Ra’anan, Z., Brody, T. (1981), Population profile development and morphotypic differentiation in the giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man). Israel. doi.org
9. Malecha, S. R., et al. (1984), Heritability of growth pattern variation in the giant freshwater prawn. University of Hawaii. sciencedirect.com

Part 4 of 17 · A history of the giant freshwater prawn · Previous: Part 3, Science in Hawaii, an industry in Thailand · Next: Part 5, Even the pond has office politics · SHRMP.bio’s strategy behind it: shrmp.bio/strategy.html