Just in time for the hot grill, a new breed of shrimp – more than twice the size of earlier breeds – is available from Australia.

It took 10 years, but scientists have engineered a new shrimp through selective breeding: the Australian Black Tiger prawn – kin to our Atlantic white shrimp.

While their work was centered around economics (they import 50% of their prawns), it also goes towards sustainability, since the new Black Tiger prawn is raised in drought-proof salt water ponds – a big plus for scorching hot Australia.

“Globally, aquaculture has been the fastest growing food production sector since the 1950s, approximately doubling production each decade” – Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)

If you get a stack of them lined up on your grill, I’d love to see a photo!

Buying local food is always a good idea, but all the more so now with seafood since BP has poisoned the main source of seafood for a lot of people across the country: the Gulf coast.

Unless we get a huge amount of their oil via the Gulf stream, the best choice is to buy your seafood from right here at home; at least then, you know where it’s coming from.

Biggest reason why? Well, put it this way: would you rather be eating some fresh shrimp and seafood like we have pictured here, or do you want to have a shot at some of the crazy-sounding chemicals listed below?

Just look at these chemicals in the Gulf’s water thanks to BP:

1. 1,2-Propanediol
2. Ethanol, 2-butoxy-*
3. Butanedioic acid, 2-sulfo-, 1,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester, sodium salt (1:1)
4. Sorbitan, mono-(9Z)-9-octadecenoate
5. Sorbitan, mono-(9Z)-9-octadecenoate, poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl) derivs
6. Sorbitan, tri-(9Z)-9-octadecenoate, poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl) derivs
7. 2-Propanol, 1-(2-butoxy-1-methylethoxy)
8. Distillates (petroleum), hydrotreated light

The choice is yours; I’m sure you’ll do the right thing.