King prawn

Production of King prawns (L. vannamei) in Ecuador and Honduras relies upon both marine and terrestrial feed ingredients in commercial feeds produced by well-established, global feed companies.Semi-intensive pond farms are characterised by low stocking densities, large irregularly shaped coastal ponds and the use of only supplemental or no added feed. With large amounts of crop ingredients in these feeds, the feed footprint is relatively small.The intensity of King prawn production in Ecuador and Honduras is much lower than is employed by Asian farmers producing this species. Lower stocking densities, coupled with the fact that shrimp also feed on naturally occurring biota in the pond, keeps the reliance on wild capture fisheries for feed low.Many pelagic fisheries supply fishmeal and fish oil, taken from a range of pelagic species. Cheaper alternative ingredients (such as soybean and plant oils) have been progressively substituted in commercial feed formulas. Leading feed suppliers have internal policies in place to ensure the traceability of the protein and oil ingredients used in feeds and encourage responsible and sustainable sourcing of feed ingredients. These companies are demonstrably striving towards using 100% responsibly sourced feed inputs.The dependency of wild caught fish used in fish meal and fish oil for farmed King prawn currently indicates that they produce more fish protein than is required in the diet, making them a net producer rather than a net consumer

Semi-intensive King prawn farming in Ecuador and Honduras can have a negative impact on the environment, but the impact is likely to be minimal.While prawn farming has historically been responsible for large-scale mangrove removal, this destructive practice has greatly diminished as awareness of its detrimental impacts has grown. Evidence suggests that the impacts of prawn aquaculture on mangrove ecosystems are on the decline. In Honduras, most shrimp farms are sited away from high-value habitats, on salt flats behind mangrove forest fringes. In Ecuador, significant conversion of estuary habitat to shrimp farms occurred prior to 1999. Recent marginal conversion on the estuary edge is not considered to represent ongoing loss of functionality in the estuary.Prawn farms avoid chemical usage and low stocking densities employed in King prawn production, results in minimal chemical and antibiotic use. Likewise, feed inputs are also low, and effluent discharge is considered minimal. The production of King prawns in Ecuador and Honduras relies on hatchery-reared juveniles.Shrimp are susceptible to an array of diseases, particularly viral pathogens. Although farmed shrimp diseases can be transferred to wild populations, these wild stocks are not generally impacted in a significant way. Escapes of farmed King prawns, from semi-intensive pond farms, is also a risk but it is unlikely that any population level impacts would occur because of competitive or genetic interactions with wild King prawns, if escapes occurred.While non-lethal predatory controls would appear to be the norm within the sector, a precautionary approach has been applied in assessing this aspect of production due to data deficiency.

Due to data deficiency on this topic, a precautionary score has been given.It is unknown if there are welfare regulations in place for farmed prawns in Ecuador and Honduras. It is common practice to use immersion in an ice slurry to kill prawns, but it is unknown if this is the method that is always used in these countries.

For uncertified King prawns produced in Honduras and Ecuador, the management and regulations are comprehensive but are only partially effective in mitigating the negative environmental impacts from aquaculture.This assessment covers uncertified semi-intensive King prawn production in Ecuador and Honduras.Management and regulation in Honduras and Ecuador cover the use of land and water resources, use of chemicals, discharges including effluents, and the identification and protection of valuable habitats and species at a country level. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is only partially addressed as the smaller farms, which make up the bulk of the farms, are exempt.Honduras and Ecuador incorporate environmental planning and address issues of environmental concern through country level regulations for farms classified as medium to high impact. Although there are a multitude of legislative instruments in place to govern the aquaculture sectors, smaller farms (<5 ha) and those classified as low impact (41% of total farm surface area in Ecuador) may not be considered.