Tiger prawn

Penaeus monodon

5: Avoid How we work out the ratings

What to check for

Location

All Areas, All Areas, All areas

Production method

Pond, improved extensive, Pond, semi-intensive

Rating summary

There are many areas of environmental concern in tiger prawn aquaculture in India, Vietnam and Indonesia. This includes the use of illegal chemicals, including antibiotics, salinisation of soil and freshwater, direct discharges into the environment, and the use of wild caught juveniles. Supplementary feed is used in semi-intensive and improved extensive systems, however, there is little transparency of the ingredients used and no requirements for responsible feed sourcing. It’s also not known if there are any welfare regulations in place and management for the aquaculture sector in India, Vietnam and Indonesia is thought to be only partially effective in mitigating negative environmental impacts.Rating last updated January 2025.

Technical consultation summary

How we worked out this Rating

Supplementary feed is used in semi-intensive and improved extensive systems, however there is little transparency on the ingredients used and no requirements for responsible feed sourcing.Giant tiger prawns farmed in semi-intensive and improved extensive systems in Asia are provided with supplementary feed, as is typical of production systems that use stocking densities higher than those occurring in nature.The sector provides little transparency with regards to the marine and terrestrial ingredients used in feed and there are no requirements for responsible sourcing.The Feed Fish Dependency Ratio, which determines the quantity of wild fish needed to produce the same quantity of farmed fish differs slightly for each country but on average, it is below 1. This means that less fish protein is required in the diet they produce, making them a fish producer rather than a fish consumer.No novel or alternative feed ingredients are being widely used in these feeds at this time.

Semi-intensive and intensive farming of Giant tiger prawns in India, Vietnam and Indonesia has a negative impact on the environment.One of the main issues of environmental concern is the use of illegal chemicals, including antibiotics. Many shipments have been rejected by importers due to the detection of illegal chemical residues. In addition, prawn farming contributes to soil salinity, which has a damaging effect on soil composition and negatively impacts livelihoods and food security. Discharges of waste into the environment also occur and regulation and enforcement of these practices is thought to be weak. Giant tiger prawn farming relies on wild capture of juveniles and the stock status of the juveniles is unknown.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. Prawns are also susceptible to an array of diseases, particularly viral pathogens but it is notable that direct environmental impacts have not been commonly observed.Escapes inevitably occur; however, Giant tiger prawns are native to Asia and are not thought to threaten regional population. 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 India, Vietnam and Indonesia. 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 Tiger Prawns India, Vietnam and Indonesia regulations are in place but are only partially effective in mitigating the negative environmental impacts from aquaculture.This assessment covers improved extensive, semi-intensive tiger prawn production in India, Vietnam, and Indonesia.Management and regulation in India, Vietnam and Indonesia cover the use of land and water resources, discharges including effluents and their impacts and species introduction. However, it only partially addresses the identification and protection of vulnerable habitats and species and biosecurity and disease management. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is only partially addressed as the smaller farms, which make up the bulk of the farms, are exempt. Current legislation on the use of chemicals (including licensing) is ambiguous and does not adequately address the aquaculture sector.Overall, although there are a multitude of legislative instruments in place to govern the aquaculture sectors in India, Vietnam and Indonesia, these can only be said to be partially effective in minimizing negative environmental impacts – and in some instances there is evidence that these regulations are ineffective.

References

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