Growing ponds for the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii are most of the time far from the seat and good quality fresh or sea water may also be in short supply seasonally. With an open system with water exchange every day the hatcheries have to be located near the sea whereas closed systems allow to set free from environmeneal conditions, and have been developed in Tahiti (Centre Océanologique du Pacifique) in collaboration with the ORERO (Office de la Recherche et de l'Exploitation des Ressources Océaniques formerly Fisheries Service). The development and the use of a recirculation system for larval culture of freshwater prawn is described. Biological and economical results are presented. [NOT CONTROLLED OCR]