In a northwest Houston indoor pool, you can fish for shrimp and then eat it
After 14 years in oil and gas and two layoffs, Alex Tseo was ready to try something new.
Ebi Ebi Shrimp Fishing is a touch different than drilling horizontal wells. The northwest Houston business is an indoor fishing experience — a small pool where customers can catch shrimp, crab and crawfish for fun.
Tseo, a Taiwanese-American, got the business idea from his trips to Taiwan as a kid. By the time he had left his oil and gas career, he had already built a new one in south Houston as a shrimp farmer. In 2016, he went for it with Ebi Ebi.
“This was just a trial to see how the market would take it,” Tseo said. “It’s definitely a fun activity, and I did it as a kid when I was younger.”
Customers who book a session get a miniature fishing rod and unlimited bait. According to Tseo, it’s not especially difficult to nab a shrimp — just set the hook and bring it above water. When they’re done, customers can ask Tseo to grill their catch or do it themselves.
Ebi Ebi is technically still a seasonal business. The shrimp, river prawn, is sourced from Tseo’s outdoor farm. Because the prawn is tropical in nature, the best time to harvest them is between June and November. In between however, Tseo stocks the indoor pool with blue crab and crawfish.
For now, Ebi Ebi operates on weekends only. Adults can book one hour for $20 and $12 for any additional hours. Kids start at $10 and $5 respectively. There are also packages for five hours ($68) and 10 hours ($108).
9934 Jones; houstonentertainmentvenue.com