Evaluate the implications for the rate of exploitation of shrimp fishing in China under circumstances of “open access”.

Chinese Exploitation of Shrimp Farming Open Access Resources by: Jeff Hunt

Outline

● Details about Shrimp Farming ● Benefits ● Shrimp Stock ● Social Costs ● Externalities ● Solutions ● Conclusion

Shrimp Farming - explained ● Demand from Shrimp increasingly popular ● Chinese development of its seacoast

○ 1.3 million hectares

● Technology developed in 1978 ○ Processed feed ○ Mechanicalization

● From 1980-1988 China accounted for 35% of the world’s shrimp ○ At the same time, Taiwan’s production collapsed due to

disease

● Wild-caught shrimp ● Cultured shrimp

○ Caught as larvae and farmed to maturity

○ Unethical practices

Benefits

● Export for shrimp in North America, Europe and Japan

● A quickly growing industry ● Low barriers of entry

○ Excellent for local groups ○ Lack of research and development

Destruction of the Shrimp stock

● Fish for the shrimp larvae in excess ○ Does no allow the shrimp itself to grow in its natural

environment

● Loss of nutrients because of the processed feed ● Shrimp that get out of aquaculture ponds weaken the

shrimp stock for wild caught shrimp

Social Costs to the environment

● Pollution to the habitats in China alone ○ 4 billion tons industrial waste ○ 200,000 tons of untreated sewage

● The destruction of mangroves ○ No ability to filter out shrimp waste, extra feed, pesticides ○ Chemical additives into farms, and low quality feed ○ 10% due to shrimp farming

● Large operations able to avoid mangroves ○ Compared to the low budgeted, small businesses

Externalities

● Most dangerous externality - the carbon into the ocean due to sediment from shrimp ponds ○ Varying pH levels ○ Prevents the mangroves in the

outlet creeks from being suitable environments for other wildlife

○ Higher amounts of dissolved oxygen in the outlet creek

Solutions and Current Legislation

● Local Solution of minimizing the ability of small groups to enter the market

● Sustainable examples ○ A demand for sustainably farmed shrimp will come from large buyers

● Complying with the ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) ○ Field testing in the future ○ By both the sellers and the buyers ○ Holland has committed to purchasing 100% certified shrimp

Conclusions --- References Abdullah, A. et al. (2017) ‘The impact of the expansion of shrimp aquaculture on livelihoods in coastal Bangladesh’, Environment, Development & Sustainability, 19(5), pp. 2093–2114.

Biao, X., Zhuhong, D. and Xiaorong, W. (2004) ‘Impact of the intensive shrimp farming on the water quality of the adjacent coastal creeks from Eastern China’, Marine Pollution Bulletin, 48, pp. 543–553.

Biao, X. and Kaijin, Y. (2007) ‘Shrimp farming in China: Operating characteristics, environmental impact and perspectives’, Ocean and Coastal Management, 50, pp. 538–550.

Boone Kauffman, J. et al. (2017) ‘The jumbo carbon footprint of a shrimp: carbon losses from mangrove deforestation’, Frontiers in Ecology & the Environment, 15(4), pp. 183–188.

Boyd, C., Clay, J. (1998) ‘Shrimp Aquaculture and the Environment’, Scientific American, 278, pp. 58-65.

Cao, L., Diana, J., Keoleian, G. and Lai, Q. (2011) ‘Life Cycle Assessment of Chinese Shrimp Farming Systems Targeted for Export and Domestic Sales’, Environmental Science & Technology, 45(15),

pp. 6531–6538.

Costa, B. et al. (2013) ‘Mercury Distribution in a Mangrove Tidal Creek Affected by Intensive Shrimp Farming’, Bulletin of Environmental Contamination & Toxicology, 90(5), pp. 537–541.

Ge, H. et al. (2018) ‘Integration of white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) and green seaweed (Ulva prolifera) in minimum-water exchange aquaculture system’, Journal of Applied Phycology, (Preprints),

pp. 1–8.

Xuliang Zhang et al. (2006) ‘Changes Of Hydrological Environment And Their Influences On Coastal Wetlands In The Southern Laizhou Bay, China’, Environmental Monitoring & Assessment, 119(1–3),

pp. 97–106.

Ya-Yan Liu et al. (2010) ‘Valuation of shrimp ecosystem services - a case study in Leizhou City, China’, International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 17(3), pp. 217–224.