Support the World’s Small
Family Shrimp Farmers that are not yet certified
This recent consumer advisory rating by the Monterey Bay Aquarium is a
very positive milestone for worldwide shrimp farmers as they continue to
improve their sustainable aquaculture practices.
However, there is a concern, over 80% of the global shrimp growers
consist of small family farms that are not yet certified under any of these
sustainability schemes. If consumers, chefs, retailers, and
wholesalers all of a sudden start to refuse to purchase non-certified farmed
shrimp, then these small family shrimp farmers may struggle to survive. The
financial, logistical, and technical constraints are just too daunting for the
small family shrimp farmer to quickly gain certification under any one of these
aforementioned sustainability schemes.
The proper course of action is to wholeheartedly embrace and celebrate
the advent of certified farmed shrimp while
concurrently supporting the vast majority of the shrimp producers who are small
family farmers that currently lack such certifications. It is incumbent that we understand that the
sustainability advancements needed by the small family shrimp farmer will take
time and that they need our encouragement and support. The best way we can show support is to
consume their shrimp even though they have not yet achieved certification.
On a global basis, actions to improve aquaculture practices
at family shrimp farms are currently being initiated by independent groups
outside of any formal certification scheme.
An example
of this recently happened on the Philippine island of Mindanao. In addition, just recently, the Global
Aquaculture Alliance has acknowledged the need to embrace the small family shrimp
farmers of the world and has instituted a
collaborative program to offer groups of farmers, who share the same
watersheds or aquifers, a more economical path to certification.
Small family farms that produce traditional terrestrial crops and
livestock as well as those engaged in aquaculture such as shrimp, play major
roles in promoting global food security, economic opportunity,
agro-biodiversity, and the stewardship of our natural environment. The Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in designating 2014 as the International
Year of Family Farming stated, “Family farmers hold the unique potential to
move towards more productive and sustainable food systems if policy
environments support them in this path.”
Please do your part in supporting the family shrimp farmers
by continuing to eat their production.
This will help assure their financial survival as they continue to
improve their sustainable aquaculture practices.
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