Abstract
Freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) culture in Kentucky is an example of a small-scale aquaculture industry that is totally dependent on retail, restaurant, and direct outlets. Since processing of prawns is required in some of these markets, small-scale processors rely on hand processing techniques using low-cost facilities to produce frozen prawn tails. This article investigates economics and management parameters for small-scale prawn processing in Kentucky, and discusses how the costs of processing underscore the marketing options, and long-term survival of this industry. Using a processing management model and enterprise budgets, the article investigated the operations of two representative processing facilities: a site-built plant and a mobile processing trailer. The results showed that the whole prawn-weight daily processing capacity was 550 kg for the site-built plant and 664 kg for the mobile processing trailer. The optimal output was frozen unpeeled tails, of which 270 kg (site-built plant) and 317 kg (mobile processing trailer) were produced per day with a breakeven price of $22–$23/kg for both types of processing plants.
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