Fresh shrimp business approved for Elkhart County

Elkhart County Board of Zoning Appeals members Thursday approved a request by New Paris resident Gilbert Schrock for a special use for a home workshop/business to allow for the construction of a 80 by 40 foot building on his property to be used for the raising and selling of salt water shrimp.

The property, zoned Agricultural-1, is located at 70244 C.R. 19 in Jackson Township.

“My purpose with this is to raise shrimp in this building for income,” Schrock said of the request. “It will be self-supporting. And I think there’s a market. We import 90 percent of our shrimp that we consume in the United States from other countries. We’re working with a lady down by North Lafayette right now who has been doing it for five years, and she’s going to coach us.”

According to Schrock, the shrimp are grown in large above ground pools with the typical growth cycle of a pound of saleable shrimp falling in at around 90 days. Along those lines, Schrock noted that his current plan is to keep his sales retail and on the smaller end, rather than going the wholesale route.

“We sell the shrimp live,” Schrock said. “We take the shrimp, however many you want, we put them in a Ziplock bag, and take a bigger bag, put ice in it, and put them in that bag of ice. We don’t put a knife to them so we don’t have to deal with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).”

As for whether or not he anticipates having enough interest locally to sustain the business, Schrock said he is confident adequate demand should not be an issue.

“The gal we’re working with down in Lafayette, she can’t keep enough shrimp,” Schrock said. “She can sell a thousand pounds a month if she has it.”