<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for The toll of the shrimping industry on Southeast Asia]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by Wolverine http://www.grist.org/article/one-expensive-cocktail/ Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:40:33 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/one-expensive-cocktail/1 Wild Meat Only! And Boycott All Shrimp!

This is just another of the many examples of why animal husbandry is bad for the Earth.

Additionally, everyone who cares about the environment and/or animal rights should be boycotting shrimp.  For every pound of wild shrimp caught commercially, TEN pounds of "bycatch" is killed.  (Bycatch is all the non-target fish that are thrown back into the ocean, dead.)  So, neither wild nor farmed shrimp are environmentally friendly.  Moreover, this food is not even particularly healthy.  Shrimp are bottom feeders.  I freely admit that they taste good, but species like wild salmon are far more healthy.

]]> Wild Meat Only! And Boycott All Shrimp!

This is just another of the many examples of why animal husbandry is bad for the Earth.

Additionally, everyone who cares about the environment and/or animal rights should be boycotting shrimp.  For every pound of wild shrimp caught commercially, TEN pounds of "bycatch" is killed.  (Bycatch is all the non-target fish that are thrown back into the ocean, dead.)  So, neither wild nor farmed shrimp are environmentally friendly.  Moreover, this food is not even particularly healthy.  Shrimp are bottom feeders.  I freely admit that they taste good, but species like wild salmon are far more healthy.

]]> Comment #2 by Eli Penberthy http://www.grist.org/article/one-expensive-cocktail/ Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:39:45 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/one-expensive-cocktail/2 Shrimp Less, Think More!

Thanks to Erik for paying attention to this important issue--we need a collective wake-up call about the consequences of our seafood choices!

As Erik notes, ne immediate action we can take is to reduce our consumption of imported shrimp. Shrimp is the most popular seafood among Americans, but many people do not know that the prices we pay as consumers do not reflect the costs to the environment, communitities, and health. The AFL-CIO report mentioned here exposes the child labor, human trafficking, debt bondage, and other labor abuses common in the production of shrimp. Additionally, shrimp farms heavily pollute the land and waterways and are the #1 destroyer of mangrove forests, which act as nurseries for many fish and protect coastlines from erosion and storm damage. If that isn't enough to make you stop eating it, this will: imported shrimp may contain pesticides, antibiotics, and other filth, and since the FDA inspects less than 2% of imported seafood, it is likely that contaminated shrimp is reaching our plates.

Mangrove Action Project (MAP) recently launched a consumer awareness campaign, "Shrimp Less, Think More" urging consumers to reduce their consumption of imported farmed shrimp and to instead choose local, sustainably-harvested varieties. For more information about the true costs of imported farmed shrimp, visit http://www.shrimpless.wordpress.com

]]> Shrimp Less, Think More!

Thanks to Erik for paying attention to this important issue--we need a collective wake-up call about the consequences of our seafood choices!

As Erik notes, ne immediate action we can take is to reduce our consumption of imported shrimp. Shrimp is the most popular seafood among Americans, but many people do not know that the prices we pay as consumers do not reflect the costs to the environment, communitities, and health. The AFL-CIO report mentioned here exposes the child labor, human trafficking, debt bondage, and other labor abuses common in the production of shrimp. Additionally, shrimp farms heavily pollute the land and waterways and are the #1 destroyer of mangrove forests, which act as nurseries for many fish and protect coastlines from erosion and storm damage. If that isn't enough to make you stop eating it, this will: imported shrimp may contain pesticides, antibiotics, and other filth, and since the FDA inspects less than 2% of imported seafood, it is likely that contaminated shrimp is reaching our plates.

Mangrove Action Project (MAP) recently launched a consumer awareness campaign, "Shrimp Less, Think More" urging consumers to reduce their consumption of imported farmed shrimp and to instead choose local, sustainably-harvested varieties. For more information about the true costs of imported farmed shrimp, visit http://www.shrimpless.wordpress.com

]]> Comment #3 by spaceshaper http://www.grist.org/article/one-expensive-cocktail/ Sun, 22 Jun 2008 01:32:49 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/one-expensive-cocktail/3 Thanks for this

I have a number of friends who are in denial about shrimp-eating, as if it were ethically and environmentally the equivalent of vegetarianism and devoid of the issues attached to CAFO's etc. I hope to be able to share this information with them in some gentle way.

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.

]]> Thanks for this

I have a number of friends who are in denial about shrimp-eating, as if it were ethically and environmentally the equivalent of vegetarianism and devoid of the issues attached to CAFO's etc. I hope to be able to share this information with them in some gentle way.

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.

]]> Comment #4 by tlr http://www.grist.org/article/one-expensive-cocktail/ Wed, 09 Jul 2008 06:37:20 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/one-expensive-cocktail/4 Not all shrimp the same

I wanted to inform your readers that not all shrimp is harvested or grown in an un-ecological manner. I live in Eastern Nova Scotia, where there is a sustainable trap fishery for shrimp, which is currently under review for eco-labeling. The traps are much like lobster traps, only with smaller mesh, and the fishery is carried out by smaller boats which help to maintain the economy in the small coastal community where it takes place. While true many ocean resources have been depleted with little regard, there are some involved in the fishing industry here in Canada who wish to preserve the stocks, as well as the heritage surrounding our Maritime tradition.

]]> Not all shrimp the same

I wanted to inform your readers that not all shrimp is harvested or grown in an un-ecological manner. I live in Eastern Nova Scotia, where there is a sustainable trap fishery for shrimp, which is currently under review for eco-labeling. The traps are much like lobster traps, only with smaller mesh, and the fishery is carried out by smaller boats which help to maintain the economy in the small coastal community where it takes place. While true many ocean resources have been depleted with little regard, there are some involved in the fishing industry here in Canada who wish to preserve the stocks, as well as the heritage surrounding our Maritime tradition.

]]> Comment #5 by Erik Hoffner http://www.grist.org/article/one-expensive-cocktail/ Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:56:11 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/one-expensive-cocktail/5 true

tlr: yes, there are good examples of ecological shrimp, including some being farm raised in the US southeast.

I'm unclear as to how ecological the shrimp caught off of NS are: if they are the same as 'Maine shrimp' as they are called here, my understanding is that fisheries scientists don't know much about the stocks yet, it being a newly 'discovered' critter. Which makes me wary of accepting that they should be considered an ecological choice. But I'll freely admit that they taste great.

Erik

The Orion Grassroots Network: 1,200+ grassroots groups working for conservation & more


]]> true

tlr: yes, there are good examples of ecological shrimp, including some being farm raised in the US southeast.

I'm unclear as to how ecological the shrimp caught off of NS are: if they are the same as 'Maine shrimp' as they are called here, my understanding is that fisheries scientists don't know much about the stocks yet, it being a newly 'discovered' critter. Which makes me wary of accepting that they should be considered an ecological choice. But I'll freely admit that they taste great.

Erik

The Orion Grassroots Network: 1,200+ grassroots groups working for conservation & more


]]> Comment #6 by Mikaels http://www.grist.org/article/one-expensive-cocktail/ Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:04:34 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/one-expensive-cocktail/6 AFL-CIO

As Erik notes, ne immediate action we can take is to reduce our consumption of imported shrimp. Shrimp is the most popular seafood among Americans, but many people do not know that the prices we pay as consumers do not reflect the costs to the environment, communitities, and health. The AFL-CIO report mentioned here exposes the child labor, human trafficking, debt bondage, and other labor abuses common in the production of shrimp. Additionally, shrimp farms heavily pollute the land and waterways and are the #1 destroyer of mangrove Seks HikayeleripornopornoTeknoloji forests, which act as nurseries for many fish and protect coastlines from erosion and storm damage. If that isn't enough to make you stop eating it, this will: imported shrimp may contain pesticides, antibiotics, and other filth, and since the FDA inspects less than 2% of imported seafood, it is likely that contaminated shrimp is reaching our plates.

]]> AFL-CIO

As Erik notes, ne immediate action we can take is to reduce our consumption of imported shrimp. Shrimp is the most popular seafood among Americans, but many people do not know that the prices we pay as consumers do not reflect the costs to the environment, communitities, and health. The AFL-CIO report mentioned here exposes the child labor, human trafficking, debt bondage, and other labor abuses common in the production of shrimp. Additionally, shrimp farms heavily pollute the land and waterways and are the #1 destroyer of mangrove Seks HikayeleripornopornoTeknoloji forests, which act as nurseries for many fish and protect coastlines from erosion and storm damage. If that isn't enough to make you stop eating it, this will: imported shrimp may contain pesticides, antibiotics, and other filth, and since the FDA inspects less than 2% of imported seafood, it is likely that contaminated shrimp is reaching our plates.

]]>