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Seafood Watch - Seafood Guide

Shrimp

©Scandinavian Fishing Yearbook/www.scandfish.com
SEAFOODRATINGMARKET NAMESWHERE CAUGHTHOW CAUGHT
Black Tiger Shrimp Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Tiger shrimp Ca Mau Province of Southern Vietnam and other areas of Southeast Asia Farmed (Silvofishery) Extensive Mixed Shrimp and Mangrove Forestry Using Selva Shrimpr Criteria
Freshwater Prawn Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Giant River Prawn, Malaysian Prawn U.S. Farmed
Northern Shrimp Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Bay Shrimp, Cocktail Shrimp, Salad Shrimp, Ebi U.S., Canadian Atlantic Wild-caught
Pink Shrimp Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Bay Shrimp, Cocktail Shrimp, Ocean Shrimp, Salad Shrimp, Ebi Oregon Wild-caught
Rock Shrimp Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Rock Shrimp U.S. Wild-caught
Shrimp Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Brown Shrimp, Pink Shrimp, Rock Shrimp, White Shrimp, Ebi U.S. Gulf of Mexico, U.S. South Atlantic Wild-caught
Shrimp Avoid: Avoid these products for now. These fish come from sources that are overfished or fished or farmed in ways that harm the environment. Black Tiger Shrimp, Tiger Prawn, White Shrimp, Ebi Imported Farmed in Open Systems
Shrimp Avoid: Avoid these products for now. These fish come from sources that are overfished or fished or farmed in ways that harm the environment. Black Tiger Shrimp, Tiger Prawn, White Shrimp, Ebi Imported Wild-caught
Shrimp Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Pacific White Shrimp, West Coast White Shrimp, Ebi U.S. Farmed in Fully Recirculating Systems or Inland Ponds
Shrimp Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Pacific White Shrimp, West Coast White Shrimp, Ebi U.S. Farmed in Open Systems
Shrimp Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Pacific White Shrimp, West Coast White Shrimp, Ebi Thailand Farmed in Fully Recirculating Systems
Shrimp Avoid: Avoid these products for now. These fish come from sources that are overfished or fished or farmed in ways that harm the environment. Pacific White Shrimp, West Coast White Shrimp, Ebi Mexico Farmed in Open Systems
Spot Prawn Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Prawn, Spot Shrimp, Amaebi U.S. Pacific Wild-caught
Spot Prawn Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Prawn, Spot Shrimp, Amaebi Canadian Pacific Wild-caught


Shrimp, Imported, Farmed, Open

Most imported farmed shrimp should be avoided due to habitat damage, the risk of pollution and the introduction of non-native species to the surrounding environment. An exception is shrimp from farms using fully recirculating ponds in Thailand, which reduce the risk of escapes and disease and is a "Good Alternative." U.S. farmed shrimp is another "Good Alternative," due to tougher regulations.

Consumer Note

For the most sustainable product, look for shrimp raised in fully recirculating tanks or ponds. The terms "shrimp" and "prawn" may be used interchangeably. Shrimp is known as ebi when prepared for sushi.

Summary

Shrimp is the world's most valuable seafood and a top choice of U.S. consumers. Almost half of the shrimp consumed worldwide is farmed, with the majority coming from Asia and Latin America.

Large areas of tropical coastal mangrove forests have been destroyed to build shrimp farms. These are an important habitat for a diverse community of fish, invertebrates, plants and birds. This loss has devastating impacts on local communities and the artisanal fisheries and foraged foods that these people rely on.

Environmental impacts vary from farm to farm and country to country. The supply chain is complex, consisting of approximately 400,000 farmed shrimp producers worldwide, numerous independent processing plants, multiple distributors that import the product and thousands of large retailers and restaurant chains. This makes it difficult for consumers to know the origin of their shrimp and how it was farmed.

Most imported farmed shrimp comes from farms that pose a risk of the spread of disease, the escape and establishment of non-native shrimp, pollution and destruction of sensitive habitats. In Thailand, about a quarter of shrimp farms use fully recirculating systems, which treat and reuse water for multiple crops of shrimp without releasing it to the environment. This reduces pollution and decreases the escapes of non-native shrimp and the spread of diseases to the surrounding environment.

Consumers should "Avoid" imported farmed shrimp unless they can be certain that the shrimp is from farms in Thailand that use fully recirculating systems, which are a "Good Alternative." U.S. shrimp farms are subject to more stringent environmental laws, making these shrimp a "Good Alternative."

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