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Entrance to a shrimp farm
About the Production
Tiger-prawns, giant-shrimps or king-prawns are all different
names for basically the same thing; tropical shrimp-species, usually bigger
than the ones found in Europe. This type of shrimp has become increasingly
popular among consumers in Europe, North America, and Japan. However, very
few consumers are aware of the fact that the production of this food product
destroys the environment and its important ecosystems for so many poor people.
Usually, shrimp of this kind are grown in ponds, set up in tropical and
sub-tropical regions with mangrove forest. The mangrove is, put simply,
a sort of swamp-forest that constitutes one of the most productive ecosystems
in the world. It is indispensable for a large variety of fish and shell-fish
species (in particular as a nursery for them). Consequently, the mangrove
forest is vital for the millions of people that depend on fishery in poorer
parts of the world. Moreover, it is important in the protection against
floods, for supplying natural products to local communities, as well as
for migratory birds.
A large part of the world’s population live in coastal
areas (i.e. 70% of the population in South-East Asia). Taking their land
so as to establish shrimp aquaculture ponds causes much suffering and many
conflicts. As if this wasn't enough, the shrimp industry also engages in
child labour (for example to peel the shrimps). It is estimated that around
200.000 children ageing from 3-12 years old worked in the shrimp-processing
industry (earning between 0,2-0,4 US Dollar for a 12 hour night-shift).
Shrimp aquaculture ponds often don’t last any longer than 5-10 years,
after which time the ground has become so polluted that the company is forced
to move on and annex new land. More than half of all the mangrove forest
in the world has disappeared. One of the main causes of this is the culture
of tiger-prawns or giant-shrimp. If using a more “extensive”
farming method (using less shrimp per square meter), less chemicals are
needed and the aquaculture could go on for a longer time than with more
intensive farming. However, this kind of production also needs more space,
resulting in more mangrove forest being cut down. For example, the ponds
from which many of the COOP-associated grocery chains in Europe source their
shrimp only produce one tenth to one hundredth times the number of shrimp
per hectare compared with more intensive aquaculture. The productivity is
so low that more fish and shell-fish would have been produced naturally
if the forest had been left instead of being deforested for ponds.
Sources:
Smash
& Grab - conflict, corruption & human rights abuses in the shrimp
farming industry and Shrimp
aquaculture - state of the art. You could also read more reports and
articles here.
