Hobbies And Interests
Common Shrimp
When you order shrimp at a restaurant or purchase it from the grocery store, you're likely to receive only one of three or four of the most common edible shrimps. The most common shrimp include the white shrimp, brown shrimp and pink shrimp. White and brown shrimp are the biggest of these three, growing to 7 or 8 inches in length while the pink grows to lengths of about 3 1/2 inches. Aside from coloration, these shrimp all have remarkably similar features.
Atlantic Shrimp
North Atlantic shrimp, a variety of pink shrimp called Pandalus borealis, are found anywhere in the Atlantic Ocean from Greeland to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. It's the most important commercial shrimp in the north Atlantic Ocean. This shrimp has an unusually long life span for shrimp -- eight years -- and is hermaphroditic, meaning that it begins as a male but transforms into a female.
Pacific Shrimp
The most common shrimp caught in the Pacific Ocean is called the bay shrimp, or Crangon franciscorum. It's found anywhere from Puget Sound to San Diego. Fished since the 1800s, the bay shrimp is so-called because it frequents the estuaries of the Pacific Coast of the United States. Other Pacific shrimp, classified as cold water shrimp, include the pink shrimp variety Pandalus jordani. This pink shrimp is almost indistinguishable in taste from the pink shrimp found in Atlantic waters.
Gulf Shrimp
Gulf shrimp are any variety of shrimp that are found in the Gulf of Mexico. Unlike Atlantic and Pacific shrimp, gulf shrimp are warm-water shrimp. There are three major species of gulf shrimp: pink, gulf white and brown, with the brown being the most common. Over 100 million pounds of gulf shrimp are harvested annually, with the major consumers residing in the United States and Mexico. Gulf shrimp deteriorate quickly after they've been caught, developing black spots that indicate spoilage.