Tiger prawn
Penaeus monodon
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
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.
References
Afroz, T. and Alam, S. 2012. Sustainable shrimp farming in Bangladesh: A quest for an Integrated Coastal Zone Management. Ocean & Coastal Management 71 (2013) 275-283. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964569112002785 [Accessed on 01.16.2025].Ahmed, N. and Diana, J.S. 2015a. Coastal to inland: Expansion of prawn farming for adaptation to climate change in Bangladesh. Aquaculture Reports 2 (2015) 67–76. Available at: http://ac.els-cdn.com/S235251341530003X/1-s2.0-S235251341530003X-main.pdf?_tid=652492b6-23db-11e6-916e-00000aacb35e&acdnat=1464333768_1197b4f10069fdfed26ebceb9166f136 [Accessed on 01.16.2025].Ahmed, N. and Diana, J.S. 2015b. Threatening “white gold”: Impacts of climate change on shrimp farming in coastal Bangladesh. Ocean & Coastal Management 114 (2015) 42e52. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/297480681_Threatening_white_gold_Impacts_of_climate_change_on_shrimp_farming_in_coastal_Bangladesh [Accessed on 01.16.2025].Briggs, M. 2005. Introductions and movement of two penaeid shrimp species in Asia and the Pacific (No. 476). Food & Agriculture Org. Available at: http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0086e/A0086E00.htm#TOC [Accessed on 01.16.2025].Deltares. 2016. Mangrove restoration: to plant or not to plant? Available at: https://www.deltares.nl/app/uploads/2016/07/Mangrove-restoration_to-plant-or-not-to-plant.pdf [Accessed on 01.16.2025].DOF & Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation. 2015. CODE OF CONDUCT For Selected 10 Segments of the Shrimp Aquaculture Industry in Bangladesh. Available at: http://mofl.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/mofl.portal.gov.bd/legislative_information/ef408fe7_b347_4e56_9251_10bb70459bfd/Code%20of%20Conduct%20_FinalVersion_25_07_2015%20%281%29.pdf [Accessed on 01.16.2025].EJF. 2004. Farming the Sea, Costing the Earth: Why we Must Green the Blue Revolution. Environmental Justice Foundation, London, UK. Available at: https://ejfoundation.org/resources/downloads/Farming-Sea-Costing-Earth-ok.pdf [Accessed on 01.16.2025].Jahan, K.M., Belton, B., Ali, H., Dhar, G.C. and Ara, I. 2015. Aquaculture technologies in Bangladesh: An assessment of technical and economic performance and producer behavior. Penang, Malaysia: WorldFish. Program Report: 2015-52. Available at: http://aquaticcommons.org/20459/1/2015-52.pdf [Accessed on 01.16.2025].Jannat, M., Ahmed, M.K., Islam, M., Goutam, K. and Kamruzzaman, M. 2017. Shrimp Post-Larvae Nursing in Earthen Ponds, Bangladesh. Journal of Scientific Research 9, 97. 10.3329/jsr.v1i1.28482. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312296541_Shrimp_Post-Larvae_Nursing_in_Earthen_Ponds_Bangladesh [Accessed on 01.16.2025].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].Seafish. 2013. Responsible Sourcing Guide: Marine Warm Water Prawns. Available at: https://www.seafish.org/document/?id=d443878e-d50b-4d78-9d68-8b5c393ed0c0 [Accessed on 01.16.2025].Seafood TIP. 2021. Semi-intensive P. monodon farming. Available at: https://seafood-tip.com/sourcing-intelligence/countries/bangladesh/shrimp/semi-intensive-p-monodon/ [Accessed on 01.16.2025].Tacon, A.G.J., Jory, D. and Nunes, A. 2013. Shrimp feed management: issues and perspectives. In: M.R. Hasan and M.B. New, eds. On-farm feeding and feed management in aquaculture. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper No. 583. Rome, FAO. pp. 481–488. Available at: http://www.fao.org/tempref/FI/CDrom/T583/root/18.pdf [Accessed on 01.16.2025].The Fish Site. 2018. How to improve welfare at slaughter – by Rob Fletcher, March 16, 2018. Available at: https://thefishsite.com/articles/seafood-welfare-at-slaughter-explained [Accessed on 01.16.2025].Walker, P.J. and Winton, J.R. 2010. Emerging viral diseases of fish and shrimp. Veterinary Research Volume 41(6); Nov-Dec 2010. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2878170/ [Accessed on 01.16.2025].
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