Shrimp Aquaculture: Videos

If you are interested in learning about how people are affected by shrimp aquaculture in Bangladesh, India, take a look at this video! Made by Earth Focus, the video shows the corrupt practices, human rights abuses, and environmental degradation caused by the shrimp industry. Find out how shrimp from Bangladesh, exposed to pesticides and injected with dirty water, may be toxic to your health. 

Solutions: Fighting Against The Shrimp Situation

Once the mangroves are ripped out, the cost is rendered unstable, which triggers erosion, harming coral reefs and seabed, which destroy and limit habitats for animals. This can affect the food chain and even life cycles of some animals.

When mangroves swamps are being wiped out, there should be the implementation of higher fees on shrimp farmers for the use of the land. It should be considered as an economic rent (Primavera 1997). Instead of allowing shrimp farmers from buying mangrove swamps from the government, it should be based on rent: the land is on a loan. When one clears the swamp for farming, it has to be returned to its original state after the usage of the land, and at the cost of the shrimp farmer. If the government collected rent, such collections can fund mangrove planting and other rehabilitation programs. By making them pay fees, there could also be a decrease in the rate of mangrove swamps being destroyed, as the individual farmers will be getting lesser investment.

Governor's Perspective: We are a Corrupted Shrimp Industry

Governor going against the unhappy people (Earth Focus 2012)

Governor:

As an employee of the local government, I support shrimp farming due to the economic and social benefits it brings to my country. Shrimp farming is a very lucrative business that brings many job opportunities. Shrimp farming, if regulated properly, could help bring some areas out of poverty. It is a very profitable industry. Also, workers who shrimp farm can expect to get paid more than the average worker in India. A global estimate put shrimp farm worker’s salaries at 1.5-3 times the normal wages (Bangkok Post 2012).

Environmentalist's Perspective: The Ugliness of Shrimp Farming

The chemical waste that appears in farmer’s land, a consequence from shrimp farming

Environmentalist:

While Shrimp farming may be a highly lucrative business, as an environmentalist, I believe that it has a negative effect on the environment. Mangrove forests are found in silt-rich habitats worldwide, generally along large rivers and coastal areas. Low trees, almost exclusively mangroves, with a low canopy, characterize it.

Farmer's Perspective: The Social Impact of Shrimp Farming

  

This picture illustrates one of the harmful effects of shrimp aquaculture: dried farmland

Farmers:

Bangladesh is considered a third world country with its high poverty level. Bringing in large shrimp farms into this area makes it even more challenging for the natives, especially the farmers - us - ­­­to maintain their daily lifestyle, as there is an increase in competition for necessities. Shrimp aquaculture takes our away land, water and even food!

Data and Statistics: Depleting Mangroves

According to a FAO report in 2005, global mangrove coverage has fallen from 18.8 million hectares in 1980 to 15.2 million by the end of 2000, which is approximately 20% of the global mangrove area in Asian in 1980.  

 (ZSL 2012)

Shrimp Aquaculture 101

Learn more about Shrimp Aquaculture in our video! Stop the destruction of mangroves and help us solve the problem!