Tiger prawn

Penaeus monodon

3: OK - Needs improvement How we work out the ratings

What to check for

Location

All areas

Production method

Pond, extensive

Rating summary

There are negative environmental impacts of prawn farming including the destruction of mangrove habitats and the salinisation of soil and freshwater. There are also a lack of welfare and humane slaughter measures in place. However, tiger prawns produced in extensive ponds require few inputs, such as feed or chemicals, use hatchery reared juveniles and may actively remove nutrients from the environment. Management and regulation for the aquaculture sector in Bangladesh 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

Giant tiger prawns grown in extensive pond systems in Bangladesh require very little feed input.Because tiger prawn produced in Bangladesh is mainly cultured in extensive systems, there is usually zero feed inputs. Feed for the prawn comes from naturally occurring plankton in the water.

There are some areas of environmental concern in tiger prawn aquaculture in Bangladesh, but extensive systems require few inputs.One of the main issues of environmental concern in prawn farming is the use of illegal chemicals. However, in extensive systems in Bangladesh, chemical usage is minimal. Another benefit of extensive pond production systems is that discharged effluents have little environmental impact and when stocking densities are very low, prawn ponds are typically net removers of nutrients from the environment.While prawns are susceptible to an array of diseases, particularly viral pathogens, it is notable that direct environmental impacts of prawn viruses have not been commonly observed in wild populations. While escape inevitably occur, this species is native throughout the region and escapees are also not thought to pose a genetic or competitive threat to wild populations.However, there are still some negative environmental impacts of tiger prawn farming in extensive pond systems. Prawn producers contribute to soil salinization, which can impact livelihoods and food security. In addition, while hatchery produced juveniles are used, there may also be wild caught juveniles used in extensive pond systems. While non-lethal predatory controls appear to be the norm in the sector, it cannot be assured that lethal control of predators does not take place.Prawn farming has also historically been responsible for large-scale mangrove removal and tiger prawn farming has contributed towards the ongoing loss of functionality of mangrove habitats in Bangladesh.

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 Bangladesh. 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 Bangladesh.

For uncertified giant tiger prawns produced in Bangladesh, regulations are in place, but some are only partially effective in mitigating the negative environmental impacts of aquaculture.This assessment covers uncertified extensive giant tiger prawn production in Bangladesh.Management and regulation in Bangladesh cover habitat protection, chemical usage, biosecurity and disease management, and species introductions, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are also required. However, despite the existence of a regulatory framework for the sector, it is evident that confusion exists between the various agencies involved and, due to a lack of capacity, enforcement of these management measures is weak.

References

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MBA. 2017. Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch assessment of Giant Tiger Prawn and Giant Freshwater Prawn grown in ponds in Bangladesh. Available at: https://www.seafoodwatch.org/-/m/sfw/pdf/reports/s/mba_seafoodwatch_farmedshrimp_bangladesh%20report.pdf [Accessed on 01.16.2025].

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