Agriculture and Environment: Shrimp
Better Management Practices: Encourage Domestication
The collection of wild post-larvae should be prohibited. This will eliminate by-catch issues and is an important step toward closing the production system. Brood stock will still be captured in the wild, but most scientists agree that their capture has little impact on the marine environment.
Avoiding by-catch/raising brood stock
There is no by-catch from this activity, and the numbers of individuals involved are so small as to have an insignificant impact on populations and reproduction even in a local area. Domestication is the best way forward. This will entail raising the brood stock in hatcheries.
Selective breeding programs can help develop animals that convert feed better, require less protein in general and fish meal in particular, perform better under stress, mature and gain weight more quickly, and have disease resistance.
There is no by-catch from this activity, and the numbers of individuals involved are so small as to have an insignificant impact on populations and reproduction even in a local area. Domestication is the best way forward. This will entail raising the brood stock in hatcheries.
Selective breeding programs can help develop animals that convert feed better, require less protein in general and fish meal in particular, perform better under stress, mature and gain weight more quickly, and have disease resistance.
It is even possible that domestication programs could be used to make shrimp dependent on specific trace elements so that they could not survive if they escaped from the ponds. This would have a positive impact on local biodiversity.
Credits
Extracts from "World Agriculture & Environment" by Jason Clay - buy the book online from Island Press
