Shrimp Aquaculture in Belize
Shrimp aquaculture is potentially one of the largest threats to the Mesoamerican Reef. The current producers in Belize are rapidly expanding their operations. With the Summit Foundation's support, WWF is working with the industry and the government to ensure that shrimp aquaculture in Belize is undertaken in appropriate places and with better practices that will cause fewer impacts to the marine environment. The adoption of better practices will also make the industry both more profitable and more sustainable while reducing the costs of government to regulate it. If both the producers and the government agree to this proposal, it is conceivable that all producers in the country could become independently certified.
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Waste settlement pond on a Thai shrimp farm. The pond collects solid waste from the end of each shrimp production pond. After settling, and drying, the farm uses the sediment to fertilise local coconut populations. This practice to reduce environmental impact could be applied in other countries as well.
photo: Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific |
Through the work of the Shrimp Aquaculture and the Environment Consortium (with the FAO, the World Bank, and National Aquaculture Centres of Asia and the Pacific) WWF has visited several shrimp aquaculture operations in Belize and written up a case study about one. In addition, WWF has reviewed the industry association's proposed code of conduct and the government's aquaculture policy and zoning plan. The work on shrimp has shown that there is a clear financial case for reducing risk and increasing the sustainability of the industry.
The shrimp work in Belize will focus on developing a country-specific, better management practices (BMP)-based approach for the shrimp producers association as well as the government. While most of the BMPs are already known, they must be streamlined and adapted to the Belize context that includes both semi-intensive and super-intensive operations. For the producers, a voluntary approach will help to reduce the threat of disease and cumulative impacts that have caused so many other shrimp industries around the world to collapse.
Ultimately, the goal of the work in Belize is the formal third-party certification of shrimp aquaculture in the country, which if achieved will make Belize the first country to have achieved such a status, financially benefiting both the producers and the country as a whole. Many of the lessons learned from this work will be applicable globally, facilitating the adoption of BMPs and certification standards in other nations.
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