Calala’s Water Haven in New London, run by Bob Calala and his two brothers Lewis Jr. and David, consists of 90 acres of land with 60 ponds dotting the landscape.

For more than 40 years Bob and his brothers have raised, “different things at different times,” but about five years ago they made room in the ponds usually stocked with large- and small-mouth bass, crawfish and yellow perch and began raising and harvesting shrimp.

Normally something as alien as shrimp (not indigenous to the state waterways) would be illegal in Ohio under Ohio Department of Natural Resource (ODNR) standards. Any non-indigenous creature could be considered an invasive and exotic species, however shrimp need saltwater to spawn and cannot live in temperatures below 55 degrees eliminating any threat to NEO aquatic eco-systems.

Because the shrimp cannot withstand water temperatures below the mid-50s, harvest time for Ohio shrimp comes in late September and this year’s haul will yield approximately 1,500 lbs of fresh water Ohio shrimp.

“People drive from all over to get the shrimp. We do a little bit of advertising but we get attention from the newspapers and some TV programs,” explains Calala. “People love it because there are no dioxins, PCBs or mercury…and the amount of fish meal in their feed is so slight that they don’t even have a mud vein,” explains Calala.

Each year after the harvest, the ponds are drained until the summer for restocking from the Calala’s nursery (the only one in Ohio). With shrimp raised and harvested from Ohio, consumers sidestep the less-sustainable act of transporting coastal seafood from long distances even though one farm’s yield will not support an entire state of seafood lovers.

Calala’s Water Haven, 421 State Route 60, in New London, Ohio, 44851
Contact: Bob Calala (419) 929-8052