In the US, shrimp is the most popular type of seafood. We actually eat about six pounds of shrimp apiece annually on average! The majority of the food consumed in America is imported and is both farmed and wild-caught. It can be difficult to find shrimp that is environmentally friendly, but shrimp fans need not give up! There exist options that are favourable to the environment.
When is shrimp environmentally sustainable?
The most environmentally friendly seafood is shrimp, which Seafood Watch named a Best Choice. The thriving population of Best Choice wild shrimp has minimal to no effect on other marine life or environments, thanks to a well-managed fishery. No wild shrimp fisheries have a Best Choice rating as of yet. When farmers cause as little harm as possible to the ecosystem and wild species, farmed shrimp and prawns are considered sustainable. When wild-caught shrimp receive a Good Alternative rating, it typically indicates that other overfished species are also captured in the fishery or that the effects of bycatch are not well understood. While bycatch isn’t a major issue and the targeted shrimp population is healthy in many areas, the fishery is poorly managed. Seafood Watch rates shrimp as Avoid because it is not sustainable for the ecosystem. It indicates that the fishery is overfishing wild shrimp, that bycatch of other marine species is a major concern, that the fishery is poorly managed, or a combination of these problems. Unsustainable shrimp and prawn farming indicates grave concerns over two or more of the following: • Habitat protection laws are not being followed, ecologically significant areas are being turned into shrimp farms, or both. • There is an excessive amount of chemical use to control diseases, there is a lack of knowledge regarding chemical use, compounds that are prohibited are utilized, or a combination of these problems. • Intentional or inadvertent releases of farm waste from shrimp ponds contaminate the waterways. •Prawns and shrimp from farms are fleeing into the wild in excess. They can then infect wild species with disease as a result. • Captured broodstock comes from overfished wild populations. This method can result in a very high bycatch of other species and be quite detrimental to wild shrimp nursery grounds. The feed’s inclusion of marine-based components from unreliable or unidentified sources could be another problem. |
Where to find Sustainable shrimp.
The simplest and most crucial thing you can do when dining out or shopping is to inquire, “Do you sell sustainable seafood?” Alternatively, you might need to find out what species it is, where it was caught, and how it was raised. After obtaining this knowledge, consult our national seafood guide. We advise you to err on the side of caution and look for other Best Choice seafood if the company is unable to respond to your inquiries or if the information is not on the label. You’ll definitely come across establishments that are unaware of if their seafood is sustainable, despite the fact that shops and eateries are progressively disclosing location and harvesting technique details. Customers who inquire about sustainable seafood create demand for it and motivate merchants to offer it.
Grocery stores
We collaborate with supermarket chains to establish time-bound agreements to adhere to Seafood Watch guidelines. Our suggestions are followed by PCC Community Markets and MOM’s Organic Market. For wild fish, Whole Foods Market adheres to our recommendations; for farmed seafood, they have their own proprietary standard. Please read labels and ask the staff member working the fish counter, “Do you sell sustainable seafood?”
Restaurants
We collaborate with well-known restaurant brands that are carrying out their promises to sustainable seafood, such as The Cheesecake Factory, Pacific Catch, and California Fish Grill. when dining out because chefs all throughout the country are committed to serving sustainable seafood.
Meal delivery services
Customers of Blue Apron and Hello Fresh are only sent certified fish or Best Choice or Good Alternative. We urge you to inquire if any other meal delivery services provide sustainable seafood, as they might not be offering it.
Other resources
A list of suppliers of sustainable seafood is kept up to date by FishChoice. Use the “business type” filter to identify supermarket, online retail, restaurant, and community-supported fishery suppliers in your area to find out if they sell to the general public.
Shrimp fishing and farming methods
Techniques for fishing Shrimp are caught using a variety of fishing gears, some of which are more likely to unintentionally catch other marine creatures. Gillnets, skimmer trawls, and bottom trawls are typically more likely to produce bycatch. Even with the application of these techniques, a number of strategies can significantly lower the quantity of bycatch in fisheries that are well managed. Additionally, cast nets, pots and traps, and suriperas are used to catch shrimp. Because modern fishing techniques are more selective, bycatch is generally less of an issue. A source might still be rated, though. Steer clear if any other endangered or overfished species are captured or entangled.
- Here’s a brief overview of the primary fishing techniques used to harvest shrimp: Shrimp are herded into a cone-shaped net by bottom trawls as they are pulled along the seafloor.
- Cast nets are circular nets used to catch shrimp that are lowered flat onto the water. This type of fishing is done by artisanal, small-scale fishermen. Shrimp that swim into gillnets become entangled. Shrimp may readily enter pots and traps, which resemble cages and include one or more openings that are difficult for them to escape. In the Gulf of Mexico in the United States, shrimp are harvested with skimmer trawls. A mechanism disrupts the shrimp as the nets are moved through shallow, nearshore seas, causing them to ascend in the water column and become easier to catch.
Farming methods
Ponds, which are constructed or natural bodies of freshwater or saltwater, are where most shrimp are raised. There are numerous varieties, ranging from basic, low-tech ponds to quite complex industrial ponds. For instance, in Vietnam, shrimp are raised in large ponds, intensive farms, and rice-shrimp and shrimp-mangrove ecosystems. In locations where flooding is a possibility, shrimp ponds may have large-scale escape incidents. Additionally, there may be major negative effects on the local fauna and ecosystem if untreated pond water is discharged into surrounding waterways. • While shrimp raised in recirculating aquaculture systems are also produced, relatively little of this shrimp is sold in the United States. Depending on whether the wastewater is treated before it is disposed of permanently, shrimp generated in these systems are considered as either a Good Alternative or a Best Choice.