Shrimp Farming and the Environment - Library

TABLE 2. DEVELOPMENT STAGES IN THE SHRIMP FARMING INDUSTRYPhase 1: Rapid Growth• Traditional coastal ponds. Shrimp a byproductof milkfish or mullet production inTaiwan, Republic of China; the Philippines;Indonesia• Expanding high-value international seafoodmarkets led to increased price• Static, and in some cases declining, wildcatch reinforced price rises• High value and biological interest stimulatedintensive research on hatchery techniques in‘60s and ‘70s, building on earlier Japanesework• High value stimulated greater specializationwith shrimp in existing coastal ponds in Asia,and active stocking with wild seed in somecases• High value stimulated new development ofcoastal ponds specifically for shrimp in bothAsia (especially China, Thailand) and Southand Central America• In South and Central America abundant wildseed allowed steady development of theindustry; low competition for landencouraged extensive and semi-intensivefarming• Shortage of wild seed in SE Asia led topractical development of hatcherytechnology• Consistent supplies of hatchery seed, andcontinuing high prices for product, resultedin the entry of a wide range of entrepreneursfrom small farmers to multinationalcorporations• Rapid development in Taiwan, Republic ofChina, and both South America (mainlyEcuador) and Southeast Asia• Production dominated by two species inAsia (Penaeus monodon, P. chinensis) andone species in America (P. vannamei)• By 1991:• more than 1 million ha of pondsworldwide• more than 4,000 hatcheries• about 37,000 shrimp farms• small- to large-scale• wide range of production rates:- 40kg/ha/crop to 10t/ha/crop- average in 1990 still only730kg/ha/yr.Phase 2: Problems• High capital investment costs and/orcompetition for suitable land stimulatedintensification• Very high returns in the early stages ofintensification led to rapid development in bothtraditional pond areas and new (oftenconverted mangrove) areas, where land wasreadily available• Shortage of land resulted in increased landprices• Higher land costs stimulated furtherintensification• In the rush to make money, little attention waspaid to site suitability, water supply, andeffluent disposal• Governments encouraged development,especially in mangrove areas, which wereconsidered of low value for other uses• In practice, lost mangrove was an actual orpotential loss of• natural wastewater treatment;• wild shrimp nursery areas;• biodiversity;• resources and livelihood of other users.• Acid sulphate conditions commonly associatedwith mangrove created water quality problems,especially in more intensive systems, and theseexacerbated disease• Poor pond conditions related to site selectionand poor management led to disease• In South and Central America, upstreampollution (pesticide use in banana plantations)was blamed for lowered resistance and spreadof Taura Syndrome to shrimp• Poor water supply/effluent design and highdensity of farms led to rapid spread of diseaseas well as pollution (organic, inorganic,chemical)• In the late ’80s, the industry crashed in Taiwan,Republic of China, and has still not completelyrecovered; in the early ’90s, major problemswere also experienced in China and Indonesia;in recent years Thailand has sufferedsubstantial falls in production• Disease is now a major problem in all producercountries• Many operators have abandoned ponds andrelocated to areas unaffected by disease• Shortage of wild broodstock has led to higherprices and in some cases reduced qualitythrough repeated spawnings5