Shrimp Farming and the Environment - Library

Shrimp farming systems vary greatly according to the intensity with which they utilize resources (suchas land, capital, labor, fuel, water, feed, and fertilizer). The economic desirability of different systemsand their environmental impact depends to a large degree on the local scarcity or abundance of suchresources, and the way in which they are managed under the farm operation. Other specificcircumstances such as site conditions and the socioeconomic status of the operator will determine therelative desirability of different systems.High technology may produce high yields (measured in both production volumes and profitability), butthey require close monitoring and a great degree of knowledge on the part of the farmer. Whileintensive and superintensive shrimp farming technologies may be beneficial both by using little landand producing high output, these technologies are in general more difficult to manage, and the risks arehigh. The collapse of intensive shrimp farming in Taiwan, Republic of China, is a case in point.19