Shrimp: The Endless Quest for Pink Gold

5. Microscopic Monsters

Shrimp are amorous creatures that have been making more shrimp since the beginning of time. Born offshore, planktonic baby penaeid shrimp move back to the coast in the first weeks of life, pouring into the inlets between barrier islands on incoming tides. Tiny pink and brown shrimp can be found in depths of an inch or two as a sheet of tidal water flows across the tide flats of the bays, sounds, and estuaries. Nearly microscopic white shrimp ride the currents all the way to the headwaters of the creeks, settling to the bottom in nearly freshwater, where predators are few. After several months of rapid growth in the nursery ground, the shrimp move into deeper creeks, rivers, and bays and then go offshore. There they mate, ...