Current status and prospects of farming the giant river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man 1879) and the Amazon river prawn Macrobrachium amazonicum (Heller 1862)) in Brazil

This article describes some aspects of the current status of Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man 1879) and Macrobrachium amazonicum (Heller 1862) farming in Brazil, including a brief description of the technologies used. A history of the farming of M. amazonicum is provided, together with the marketing strategies currently employed for freshwater prawns in Brazil and future trends. It was concluded that freshwater prawn farming in Brazil currently has a favourable scenario for expansion due to increasing demand and to prospects of an improved organization of the productive chain.