BROOKINGS, S.D. (KJJQ) – A Minnesota-based aquaculture firm will be part of the Brookings Research Park at SDSU.

Tru Shrimp, based in Balaton, Minnesota, is partnering on research with SDSU and will have a presence in the research park.

Tru Shrimp President and CEO Michael Ziebell (Zee-bull) says they’re now producing shrimp in Balaton and their methods work.

He says shrimp molt as they grow, and those shed shells can be very useful. Ziebell says, because of their methods, Tru Shrimp molt tissue is virtually perfect. That will be the focus of the research at SDSU.

They’ve come to Brookings to develop this product, called “Chitosan (kite-uh-sun)”.

For now, it will mean one person in Brookings. Could it lead to more?

While not committing to it, Ziebell says they may need a Chitosan production facility at some point.

The firm in 2018 announced it would build a huge production facility in Madison, South Dakota. State and local officials committed $6.5 million to the project. Work has not yet started. Ziebell was asked if they had a timeline.

Tru Shrimp says they use patented technology to raise shrimp in the “healthiest, safest and most efficient way possible.”