History

     The Asian tiger shrimp were once farmed in the United States. It was reported that hundreds of
them were caught in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina when in 1988a storm hit a farm in South
Carolina. None were reportedly seen since then until 2006. The last tiger shrimp farm, which was
located in Florida, closed in 2004. In 2006,six were reportedly found and that number increased to
331 in 2011. There are probably many times the number found in 2011 since many fisherman do
not make reports concerning the tiger shrimp they catch.
     The main concern about the Asian tiger shrimp is that they may eventually decimate the native shrimp population through disease and the fact that they eat small shrimp. The tiger shrimp can get
 as large as 13 inches long a weigh 1/4 of a pound. 
     There have been claims by some fisherman that they have caught tiger shrimp that are close to
1 pound in weight. It is unknown where these tiger shrimp are originating from. Asian tiger shrimp are farmed in Africa and the Caribbean and one plausible explanation is that the tiger shrimp are being swept to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Coast from the Caribbean due to storms. Scientists are presently studying the DNA of the tiger shrimp to try and find out where they are coming from and their effects on native shrimp.
          
                                                              Work Cited

McConnaughey, Janet. Asian Tiger Shrimp Found on U.S. Coast and Gulf of Mexico, Worries

      Scientist. Huffington Post, 27 Apr. 2012. Web. 29 August 2012.