Farmed Shrimp

Building a More Sustainable Supply of Farmed Shrimp

Shrimp is the most popular seafood in the United States, accounting for 25% (by weight) of all seafood sales nationally. An estimated three quarters of shrimp sold come from farms, and 80% is imported. Production practices in some regions have caused significant environmental degradation, including destruction of wildlife habitats, water pollution and heavy use of wild fish for shrimp feed. Health concerns include frequent use of antibiotics and other chemicals by some operations, and illegal drug residues in some farmed shrimp.

About the purchase policy

Wegmans Food Markets and Environmental Defense Fund recently announced an innovative new purchasing policy for farmed shrimp. The policy includes the most rigorous and comprehensive standards for farmed shrimp production adopted by a major US retailer. Shrimp produced under the standards earn a “best choice” ranking according to the criteria used by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program and Environmental Defense Fund. The policy was widely covered in the media and is now publicly available for other purchasers and suppliers to adopt.

Key elements of the purchase policy

The purchasing policy includes standards to address the key environmental impacts of shrimp farming. Among other things, these standards require:

• Protection of sensitive wetland areas, such as mangroves;
• Reduction of water pollution by treatment of all wastewater;
• Elimination of antibiotics, other antimicrobials and pesticides;
• Lower usage of wild fish in shrimp feed
• Stringent health standards for contaminants such as PCBs;
• Use of best practices to prevent the outbreak and spread of disease.

How the purchase policy works

The standards set rigorous performance goals for environmental and health issues related to farmed shrimp production, while giving suppliers the flexibility to find the most efficient way to meet these targets. Participating suppliers are required to produce an annual report demonstrating their compliance with the standards, which is verified by a third party auditor. (The standards are not part of a larger environmental certification program.) Developed in conjunction with leading seafood buyers, shrimp suppliers, Environmental Defense Fund and other conservation and academic experts, the standards achieve real environmental progress while demonstrating technical feasibility and affordability. Environmental Defense Fund is available to provide advice and assistance with their implementation.

A business opportunity for purchasers and suppliers

By adopting comprehensive, credible standards for farmed shrimp that are third party verified, purchasers and suppliers alike have an opportunity to differentiate their product in the marketplace farmed shrimp and to build customer confidence in the healthfulness and environmental responsibility of their products. Given recent media stories about unhealthy and environmentally-damaging farmed seafood, the purchase policy provides a valuable opportunity to reassure customers about where shrimp comes from and how it was produced.

Meeting the standards

Our industry research suggests that industryleading suppliers in the U.S., Latin America and potentially other producing regions are well positioned to meet the standards, though most will have to make some operational improvements. Depending on a particular supplier’s current level of environmental performance, meeting the standards may involve transition costs but should have minimal impact on production costs over the longer term.

Where to Start

We suggest you first discuss the policy with your current farmed shrimp supplier, send them a copy and ask how long it would take for them to comply with the standards. If you are unable to work out an arrangement with your current supplier, we can suggest other suppliers to contact. Once your supplier has implemented the standards, the company will then need to prepare a public report demonstrating compliance, followed by an operational audit by an independent third party for verification. Feel free to contact us at any stage in the process for advice and ideas.

About Environmental Defense Fund

Our corporate partnerships are strategically designed to simultaneously provide business benefits, produce environmental results and pave the way for transformational industry change. We accept no payment from our corporate partners; we consider the environment our primary client, and businesses our partners in pursuit of common aims. For more information about our corporate partnerships, go to www.edf.org/partnerships.

Posted: 24-Dec-2008; Updated: 03-Nov-2008