Akie Hart And Ih Pepple
14 January 2008
analysis
Lagos — As important as shrimp is to our menu, its production is very devastating to the environment. This much has been proved in some developing countries of Asia and Latin America where ponds are used to cultivate shrimp, with all the chemicals involved, which are usually injurious to the soil.
The shrimp production methods that is employed in these developing countries, that has generated public outcry, is about to start here in Nigeria. Spearheaded by Sulalanka, a Srilankan company, Asians are making frantic efforts to start this Shrimp business in Nigeria, from all indications the South-east and South-west are the suggested locations, and this will spell disaster to the nation and soon there may be no land for conventional food cultivation as ponds would be dug, used, abandoned and new ones dug and the process will go on.
The Niger Delta environment which has been fragmented, deforested and degraded by the oil and gas exploration and production and other related industrial activities recently witnessed a greatest threat to its existence in the form of the introduction of industrial shrimp farming with presidential support from the Obasanjo.
The president ordered the ministries of Agriculture and Environment to give special encouragement to industrial shrimp farmers specially those willing to export shrimp to the United States of America.
After the first attempt was halted, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) started another attempt to start industrial shrimp farming. They also stopped on account of pressure by Non-governmental Organisations and Community Based Organisations in Nigeria.
Having failed in the Niger Delta region the Asians now prefer the South East and South West Regions of Nigeria, meaning that they would construct pounds to cultivate it. Shrimp farming is an evil that does no nation any good as in the experiences of the following countries stated below.
Thailand
In the Trang province of Thailand in the fishing communities located along the Andaman Sea, their environment has been ruined beyond remediation through the cutting of the mangroves to make way for shrimp farms which makes it impossible for the fisher folks to earn their livelihood and to support their families from their polluted seas and degraded lands.
They have migrated to the cities to look for non - existing work; those that opposed them are murdered in cold blood as two people were killed in the Baliu Laemsai village by the shrimp mafia made up of foreign investors and corrupt political leaders in the corridors of power.
Mad - it Ran Wasil, the village headman of Baliu Laemsai village spoke quite openly lamenting the devastation and impoverishing of their lands.
To day in Thailand, their resources have been degraded, and loss of natural coastal resources, unsolved pollution problems has led to the despoiling of once fecund inshore bays, formerly rich fishing grounds are being impacted and vital fish breeding by Nursery habitat are being lost to the encroaching shrimp farms. In one district shrimp farmers displaced alone 4,000 rice paddy farmers.
Honduras
In August 1996, the Government of Honduras declared a one year moratorium on shrimp farms which was further extended to allow a careful monitoring of water quality and other serious environmental problems that has cropped up in the Gulf of Fonseca.
India
The India environment has been degraded to an unprecedented degree by shrimp farming which led the Supreme Court to pass a landmark ruling calling for a moratorium on all industrial shrimp aquaculture operations. Over 100,000 acres of existing farm facilities were mandated to be dismantled by the end of March 1997 in Adrea Pradesh region 48,000 people were displaced in 3 years by shrimp farming.
Taiwan China and Vietnam
The use of Antibiotics, pesticides and hazardous chemicals has led to the spread of deadly infections viruses that has ruined once thriving Aquaculture Industries. In Taiwan it happened 1988, in china; it was in 1993, in Vietnam it was in 1995. these resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars worth of loses and massive environmental degradation in its wake Taiwan once the world leader in farmed shrimp production has never recovered from its crash in 1988, Thailand, Ecuador and India which have all vied for first or second place in farmed shrimp production have also suffered diseased problems which have caused 50 % or more of their pond operation to be shut down, while few ponds have recuperated and put back into use, many have turned to wastelands unfit for any resource extractive purposes.
Mexico
Because of the serious disease problems of shrimp farming ,its impacts on investment and degradation of the environment lading to impoverishment of rural people, the world Bank funded a study on the disease problems of Thai shrimp ponds of Thailand. This is to diagnose the widespread disease problems in the area. Surprisingly, the World Bank was simultaneously developing a loan proposal for Mexico to develop shrimp farming based on the same management models with Thailand.
The World Bank Mexico Agriculture loan has been indefinitely postponed due to many issues principal among them was the opposition by local environmental organizations and fishermen Associations- (From. Rosenberg's 1992 world shrimp farming report).
Japan
Studies are currently being conducted by a team of scientist from in the united state and the Philippines to determine whether Antibiotics used for shrimp production can create a resistance to these antibiotics in human who consume farmed shrimp, due to escalating public concern over health risks, Japan has identified over 20 antibiotics used in shrimp industry and has banned shrimp farmed with these antibiotics. Nigeria is not even aware.
Sri-Lanka
More than 4500ha of productive mangrove land have been converted into artificial shrimp farms in Sri - lanka, due to this in human activity more than 8000 fisher folk families lost their lagoon fishery.
In pambala, Kakkapalliya and chilaw their land and seas have been degraded leading to migration to the cities. They are rendered so poor by shrimp farming that the small fishers' federation of Sri - Lanka in collaboration with other international NGOs is currently supporting this water supply for them and also to assist them to have other alternative means of livelihoods this can be confirmed from the small fishers' federation.
Sweden
The Swedish international Development Agency (SIDA) has described shrimp farming as a threat to the environment.
Malaysia
The Malaysian cabinet passed a ruling that shrimp farms should not be situated in the Mangrove because of its polluting nature vis-à-vis the fragile nature of the Mangroves.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the forest peoples programmed denounced shrimp farming during its meeting in London from 17th to 20th may 2000.
Cambodia
The Cambodian Government came up with a conclusion last year that shrimp farming failed because of its environmental pollution.
Industrial Shrimp Action Network (ISA NET)
The industrial shrimp Action Net Work (ISA NET) working to address the negative social and environmental impacts of shrimp aquaculture in 25 producing and consuming countries of industrially farmed organized a tour of delegations from 7countries namely: U.S, CANADA, SWEDEN, UNITED KINGDOM,MALAYSIA,PHILIPINES and THAILAND to shrimp farms to see its harmful impacts, and after the tour, the more than 200paricpants who attended a workshop on 'Socio - economic and environment impacts of industries Shrimp cultivation came up with the following findings /report.
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