Shrimp Farming

Canada and the World

Current Events with a Canadian Perspective

Last update

07 November 2011

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Shrimp Farming Causes Environmental Damage

Commercial farming of one of the world’s

most popular seafoods is causing

environmental degradation on a large scale

Shrimp is the most popular seafood in America. The country imports 560,000 tonnes a year and, says aquafind.com, Thailand is the biggest supplier; “the second main supplier is Indonesia, followed by Ecuador.” China and Vietnam are also high on the list.

Shrimp Farms Replace Mangrove Forest

Industrial production of shrimp is carried out mostly in developing countries in tropical regions.

In many of these nations, mangrove forests and wetlands have been destroyed to make way for the fish farms.

According to the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) “one estimate suggests that, of the total global mangrove losses of the past two decades, as much as 38 percent is attributable to shrimp farm development…”

The EJF says that studies in Thailand put the economic value of untouched mangroves at between a low of $1,000 and a high of $36,000 per hectare. But, rip out the mangrove and replace it with shrimp aquaculture lagoons, and the economic value drops to around $200 per hectare.

Mangroves are a Vital Coastal Ecosystem

The Mangrove Action Project points out that “mangroves are comprised of salt-tolerant tree and other plant species from a range of plant families. They thrive in intertidal zones of sheltered tropical shores, islands, and estuaries.”

Jeremiah Blatz

Take out the mangrove (above) and the EJF describes the results: “Destruction of mangroves has left coastal areas exposed to erosion, flooding, and storm damage, altered natural drainage patterns, increased salt intrusion, and removed critical habitats for many aquatic and terrestrial species, with serious implications for biodiversity, conservation, and food security.”

Shrimp Aquaculture a Source of Disease

The ponds in which farmed shrimp are kept are often stocked very densely creating a perfect environment for diseases to spread quickly.

An epidemic virtually wiped out the aquaculture shrimp industry in the late 1980s. When a catastrophe such as this happens, the farms are often abandoned and a new section of mangrove forest is cut down to open up a new operation.

Intervet Schering-Plough Animal Health reports that a disease called white spot syndrome involved outbreaks that were first “reported from the People’s Republic of China in 1993 and they spread rapidly thereafter to Japan, Taipei China, and the rest of Asia…” More recently, the disease has shown up in the Americas.

Shrimp Farm Waste

The environmental organization mongabay.com notes that “shrimp feed on naturally occurring plankton and micro-organisms, which can be encouraged to grow by adding antibiotics and organic and chemical fertilizers to shrimp ponds. Pollution from ponds is flushed into the surrounding ecosystem by tides.”

More antibiotics in the environment increases the possibility that bacteria that might be harmful to humans and other animals will mutate to develop an immunity.

Shrimp farming operations create a large quantity of effluent made up of chemicals, antibiotics, dead shrimp, and feces. This foul liquid pollutes surrounding seawater killing off wild fish species and along with this the livelihood of local fishers.

Sources

“Shrimp Market Report.” Aquafind, January 2010.

“Farming the Sea - Unregulated Shrimp Farming, the Environment, and People.” Environmental Justice Foundation.

“Learn about Mangroves.” Mangrove Action Project.

“White Spot Syndrome.” Intervet Schering-Plough Animal Health.

“Environmental Degradation from Shrimp Farming.” MongaBay.com.

“Financial Analysis of Shrimp Seal of Quality.” U.S. Aid, August 2005.

RESPONSIBLE

SHRIMP FARMING

Not all shrimp producers do harm to the environment. A scheme was set up in 2001 called the Shrimp Seal of Quality (SSOQ), which was funded in part by a U.S. Aid program.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization SSOQ set standards to “cover several sustainability aspects including food safety, quality assurance, traceability, and environmental and social responsibility.”

However, when the U.S. Aid funding ran out the SSOQ diminished in size and scope, “although efforts supported by the World Fish Center allowed the continuation of at least some aspects of the program.”

“Approximately five million metric tons of shrimp are produced annually.

“Shrimp farms are being created throughout the world to help meet the demand for shrimp.

“Shrimp aquaculture, which increased nine fold during the 1990s and is one of the fastest growing forms of aquaculture, now accounts for one-third of the shrimp produced globally.”

World Wildlife Fund