Meet the husband-and-wife team behind our local Michigan shrimp, Carol and Stephen Karas. Founded in 2024, By the Bay Shrimp Company was created with a clear purpose: to provide our community with fresh, sustainably raised shrimp, grown right here in Williamsburg. Led by marine biologist Carol Karas, their work blends scientific expertise with thoughtful, clean, chemical-free aquaculture practices. Read on for Carol’s perspective and the story behind how it all began.
From Tank to Table, the Story Behind By the Bay Shrimp Company
Written by Carol Karas
After graduating from Unity Environmental College in Maine with a degree in Marine Biology and Aquaculture, I became fascinated by the potential of sustainable aquaculture. What started as a research project questioning the industry turned into a passion for how responsibly raised seafood can support both people and the planet.
My husband immediately shared that enthusiasm and brought his incredible problem-solving skills to the project. Together, we combined my background in aquaculture science with his hands-on design and engineering experience. Alongside a talented young team member, they built our entire hybrid biofloc aquaculture system from the ground up — a system designed specifically for efficiency, sustainability, and water quality.
Living in the Traverse City area, where farm-to-table values run deep, we saw an opportunity to produce a truly local, environmentally responsible source of shrimp. Shrimp are a favorite at gatherings, holidays, and family dinners, and we wanted to give our community a fresh, sustainable way to enjoy them.
We started with a small-scale version of our system to test the waters — both literally and figuratively. The response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive, and it’s encouraged us to begin planning for expansion.
Our process focuses on maintaining excellent water quality and healthy shrimp from start to finish. We start with premium post-larval shrimp (PLS) in our nursery tanks, feeding them four times a day and monitoring water conditions closely. Once they reach about a gram each, we transfer them to our grow-out tanks, where we continually check temperature, salinity, pH, ammonia, and the biofloc balance. After roughly 120 days, when they reach a 16–18 count per pound, we harvest them.
We sell our shrimp fresh or flash-frozen with heads and tails on, preserving their natural sweetness and superior texture. We’re licensed by the state and take pride in being good stewards of the environment — proving that aquaculture, when done right, is truly the way of the future.
Need to know how to peel and devein shrimp? Visit this handy guide from The Kitchen.
