Environmental and Socioeconomic Risks of Shrimp Aquaculture Erin Farrell, Chris Lang, Sarah Von Lehman Team A04-B

Summary  Environmental and Socio-economic Aspects of shrimp aquaculture Physical environment Physical environment Water Quality Water Quality Negative and Positive Socio-economic Negative and Positive Socio-economic  What are the environmental risks associated with shrimp aquaculture?

Problem Statement  Resource intensive  High demand for product  Escalation of risks

Physical Environment: Shift to Intensive Aquaculture  Becoming lucrative in early 1980s  Traditional practices One crop per year One crop per year kg shrimp / hectare kg shrimp / hectare  Semi-intensive and intensive practices 2-3 crops per year 2-3 crops per year 1,000-10,000 kg shrimp / hectare 1,000-10,000 kg shrimp / hectare

Mangrove Functions & Resources  Trap sediments  Process nutrients & organic matter  Provide food and habitat  Protect shorelines  Provide plant products

Mangrove Destruction  Feed, seed, energy, and fresh water  Lifespan of 5-10 years  > increase of 200,000 ha of shrimp ponds in Asia

Water Quality  Feed and Gut Passage Times How fast food is digested How fast food is digested How completely it’s digested How completely it’s digested  Depends on species and Food Content  Uneaten Food, Feces Eutrophication / Anoxia Eutrophication / Anoxia

Taura Syndrome Virus Shrimp Infected with TSV Healthy Shrimp Recent studies show possible transferance to mammalian species (including human and monkey)

Other Water Quality Issues  Salt water intrusion  Nutrient Enrichment (Effluent) Particulate organic matter (decayed / live plankton) Particulate organic matter (decayed / live plankton) Fertilizers / Insecticides (N and P) Fertilizers / Insecticides (N and P) Antibiotics Antibiotics

Water Quality  Turbidity and Sedimentation Increasing acreage = soil erosion Increasing acreage = soil erosion Canals, roads, & other infrastructure Canals, roads, & other infrastructure Plants intolerant of salinity Plants intolerant of salinity Pond area in production in southern Honduras from 1985 to 2000

Positive Shrimp Culture  Economic  $56.47 Industry 2000  Many communities rely on shrimp culture

Sustainable methods  Use less intense shrimp practices  Lower stocking densities resulting in higher survival rates  Less diseases  Less inputs into system

Land delegation  Rotate between shrimp and rice  Delegate productive rice fields  Education is essential

Education  Types of shrimp  Other possibilities for crops  Using currents  Dry season feed  Less intensive

Negative Aspects  Local farmers can not compete  Cut off from mangroves  Government backing

Conclusions  Industry expansion  Water quality and environmental impacts  Educate  Move toward sustainability