Since 2000 the global farming of Macrobrachium rosenbergii has expanded considerably, production of a second major species (M. nipponense) has soared to essentially equivalent levels in China, and other species of existing or potential commercial importance (M. malcolmsonii and M. amazonicum) have also emerged. By 2007, total annual global production of all freshwater prawn species was nearly 460,000 t, with a value exceeding US$ 1.86 billion. Further expansion has undoubtedly occurred since 2007. These developments prompted our publishers to suggest the preparation of a book on this topic. The result is a compendium of information on every aspect of the biology and farming of freshwater prawns