Shrimp - most environmentally-damaging seafood?

[Pseudo_Croat]

That's what this guy says.

So, is he telling the truth, or is he pulling our leg or exaggerating any?

- Pseudo "jumbo dilemma" Croat

[Eddylizard]

I really can't say - it's a little short on details as to why shrimp fishing is considered damaging to the environment. Yes it does say

trawled in ways the ruin the sea floor and catch lots of other animals (like turtles, fish, sharks, rays, sea stars, jellies, crabs).

but then surely all trawlermen catch unwanted creatures.

This lack of detail to me is akin to the anti-GM food brigade. They come out with a blanket statement that GM food is a bad thing, but cannot supply a single coherent reason why it is bad.

[Jay Tea]

The trouble with bycatch (non-target species) in the shrimp trawling game is the sheer number of species caught. In tropical waters up to 400 species can be taken as bycatch.

Tropical shrimp fisheries alone are responsible for 27.3% of the world's discarded catch, despite producing less than 2% of global seafood.

Shrimp farming also has an environmental impact.

Coastal mangrove forests have been especially damaged. Estimates of total global mangrove loss over the last 20 years range between 25% and 35%. Shrimp farming's contribution to this loss varies between countries, but in those that are the largest producers of farmed shrimp, the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) report that 20-50% of all current mangrove deforestation is due to shrimp farming.

In a 60 billion dollar a year industry, where’s the surprise?

http://www.ejfoundation.org/page211.html

Shimp are just about the worse seafood to eat, eviromentally speaking. Massive by-catch, trawling the bottom and farmed shrimp are just as bad or worse. But God, I love them.

The best seafood to eat is Mahi Mahi, farm raised catfish or trout or Pacific Halibut. All per;

http://www.mbayaq.org/

[Spam & Cookies-mmm]

Originally Posted by diving_cecil

Shimp are just about the worse seafood to eat, eviromentally speaking. Massive by-catch, trawling the bottom and farmed shrimp are just as bad or worse. But God, I love them.

The best seafood to eat is Mahi Mahi, farm raised catfish or trout or Pacific Halibut. All per;

http://www.mbayaq.org/

According to their suggestions for the US Southeastern region, US/Gulf of Mexico shrimp are a "good alternative". And some shrimp catches fall into the "best" category.