Top Brine Shrimp Fishing Countries

Brine shrimp (Artemia spp.) are small crustaceans found in saline lakes and coastal salt ponds, renowned for their importance as live feed in aquaculture and the aquarium trade due to their high nutritional value for fish larvae and other aquatic organisms. The global brine shrimp fishing industry is centered in countries with large inland saltwater lakes or man-made salt ponds. The United States, particularly Utah’s Great Salt Lake, is the world’s leading producer, supplying a significant portion of the global market. China is another major harvester, with extensive brine shrimp collection from salt lakes in provinces such as Qinghai and Inner Mongolia. Other notable producers include Kazakhstan, Iran, and some South American countries like Argentina. These nations have developed specialized harvesting and processing techniques to meet the high demand from fish farms and pet industries worldwide, making brine shrimp a valuable export commodity.

Data from FAO. 2025. Global Capture Production. In: Fisheries and Aquaculture.