Shrimp Production SE4

Anyone in the Mood for Some Shrimp?

            Although they may be extremely tiny in size, with an appearance that is nothing past average, shrimp are actually some of the most highly consumed species of seafood in the world today.  They are a wonderful appetizer for a nice meal, whether they are perfectly fried to accompany a plate of fried fish, or simply peeled and dipped into a hot, tangy shrimp sauce.  As for almost all foods, people go to the grocery store and pick up a bag of shrimp, just as they would with any other variety of food.  However, have you ever picked up a bag of shrimp, looked at it, and thought, “How did these shrimp get here, in this grocery store, in my city? Where did they come from?”  Like most avid errand-runners, including myself, you probably have not.  As all products do, nevertheless, those shrimp did come from somewhere, and they went through a long process before ending up on that shelf in your local grocery store. 

            It is always best to start from the beginning: Where do shrimp originate from?  Shrimp farming actually began in Asia, dating back several centuries.  Shrimp farming as a whole began in Asia as well, in small scales.  However, today, shrimp farming is a booming market.  In fact “the total production of farmed shrimp reached more than 1.6 million tonnes in 2003, representing a value of nearly 9 billion U.S. dollars” (Wikipedia).  Over half of this production takes place in Asia, where shrimp farming originated, with the rest of shrimp farming production taking place in Latin America, specifically in Mexico, Ecuador, and Brazil (Wikipedia). The process that these tiny, yet scrumptious little creatures go through before we get them at the store is quite a remarkable, tedious endeavor. 

            The World Wildlife Foundation gives a clear outline of the process we call fish farming, including all the steps, from raising the larvae, to packaging up the shrimp for us pick up from our local supermarket.  The two main species raised in shrimp farms are Pacific White shrimp, and Giant Tiger prawn (Wikipedia).  The larvae of these two species are purchased from a hatchery, and are then transported to farming sites.  Since shrimp are habitually from the ocean, they are used to the high salinity level of the sea.  In order to adapt the shrimp larvae, they are exposed to decreasing salinity levels before they reach the farming sites.  In fact, the well water-filled ponds used for fish farming have additional salts added to them just to keep the shrimp alive.  “The salinity of the well water is 3.5 ppt, which is about 10% of seawater strength.  We have to amend the water with potassium salts for the shrimp to survive” (World Wildlife Fund).

            The shrimp then grow for about 5 months in order to be ready for the next process in production.  They are fed two times a day: a meal consisting of mainly plant materials.  When it gets toward the end of the growing process, “shrimp are harvested during a 6 to 7 week period that begins in September and usually ends by the beginning of November” (World Wildlife Fund).  The shrimp are then siphoned and filtered from the water, immediately frozen, and are then shipped for packaging. 

            Quite a crazy process, wouldn’t you say?  However, although this assembly line of shrimp farming may sound pretty straightforward and simple, there are some drawbacks to this industry.  According to the World Wildlife Fund, the outbreaks of disease and pollution are a couple of the main downsides to shrimp farming today.  The disease problem works in a sort of assembly line, with the diseased shrimp floating to the surface of the farming ponds, becoming easy food for shrimp-feeding birds, which then become stricken with the disease.  Then the birds spread the disease, making other surrounding wildlife susceptible.  In regards to pollution, “a steady stream of organic waste, chemicals and antibiotics from shrimp farms can pollute groundwater or coastal estuaries” (World Wildlife Fund).  This pollution negatively affects the surrounding environment, adding yet another weakness to these shrimp farms. 

            So there it is, the long process in which our beloved shrimp makes its way to our dinner tables.  I have always been an avid shrimp eater because it is one of my favorite types of seafood, and after investigating shrimp production, I am just as eager to eat them as I was before I did my research.  I did not know that shrimp farming caused pollution, which is a minor drawback that could definitely use a solution, but overall I found the process of shrimp farming quite interesting.  In fact, the next time my parents send me to the store for a bag of iced shrimp I just might pick it up and think to myself “Ha! I know exactly where you came from.”  

Sources

"WWF." - Endangered Species Conservation. World Wildlife Fund, 2013. 07 May 2013. http://worldwildlife.org/

"Shrimp Farming." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Apr. 2013. 07 May 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrimp_farming