Seafood Watch - Seafood Guide

Black Tiger Shrimp

© Monterey Bay Aquarium
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 Shrimp® 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, (Silvofishery) Extensive Mixed Shrimp and Mangrove Forestry

Shrimp farmed in extensive mixed shrimp and mangrove forestry systems are a "Best Choice."

Summary

This recommendation applies only to farms using The Selva Shrimp® Criteria developed by Blueyou Consulting Ltd. for mixed shrimp/mangrove systems - known as silvofisheries - which combine shrimp farming and mangrove forestry.

Farms are typically small and family-owned, and raise wild and hatchery-raised shrimp in pond systems within a managed mangrove forest. Farms are independently verified to be compliant with the Selva Shrimp Criteria. The criteria require the number of shrimp per pond to be low, at levels similar to those found in the wild. Use of supplemental feed and chemicals is not permitted in the criteria. As a result, there's no significant risk to the surrounding environment, despite the open nature of the ponds. It's likely that shrimp will escape from the ponds at times; but as numbers are low and all farmed shrimp must be native species, there is little risk to wild populations.

It's well established that mangrove forests are important habitats for wildlife, or offer storm protection; protections that may be lost when mangroves are removed or significantly altered. The Selva Shrimp criteria require specific levels of mangrove forest area, but while silvofisheries maintain a higher overall level of mangrove cover than the more common intensive shrimp farming systems, silvofishery mangroves are harvested every 10 to 20 years.

Special Note:This assessment is based on the Ca Mau region of southern Vietnam raising black tiger shrimp and other native species using The Selva Shrimp® Criteria developed by Blueyou Consulting Ltd. This recommendation would also be valid for silvofisheries in other regions of Southeast Asia with verified use of the Selva Shrimp® Criteria.


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