Shrimp need foreign seawater to thrive

GUANGZHOU - Zhao Weichun, an importer from Guangdong province, couldn't believe his eyes when he received an order for an import of 81 tons of seawater.

The water was imported from Hawaii, a part of the United States, by Zhanjiang Dacheng Aquaculture Co. The seawater import was the first of its kind in the coastal city, said Yang Wei, an official with Zhanjiang customs.

The seawater will be used to accommodate larvae of more than 2,000 white-leg shrimp, also known as litopenaeus vannamei or Pacific white shrimp, imported earlier from Hawaii, said Wu Changde, general manager of the company.