Developing sustainable shrimp farming

Description

Developing sustainable shrimp farming involves implementing environmentally responsible practices that minimize habitat destruction, reduce chemical and antibiotic use, and manage waste effectively. The strategy focuses on adopting integrated farming systems, improving feed efficiency, and ensuring traceability to prevent disease outbreaks and protect local biodiversity. By promoting certification schemes and community engagement, this approach addresses ecological degradation, social conflicts, and market instability, ensuring long-term viability and resilience of shrimp aquaculture.

Implementation

Citing environmental damage, India's Supreme Court ordered all large commercial shrimp farms in five coastal states closed by April 30, 1997. The action was particularly bold since shrimp farming in India was a business worth US$ 500 million a year. In urging India's Supreme Court to take action against large-scale shrimp farming, conservationists cited abuses that included wetlands destruction, pollution of coastal waters, degradation of coastal fisheries and peremptory land acquisition. Scientific studies found that the cost of repairing environmental degradation from the farming would be greater than earnings from shrimp exports.

Claim

Consumers can insist that the shrimp they buy have either been produced in sustainable farms or caught in the wild. But they may have to pay a premium for such kindness to the Earth.