Global aquaculture production is on the rise and whiteleg shrimp (P. vannamei) comprises a dominant share of the global seafood trade. Indeed, shrimp is the primary seafood import in the United States, principally sourced from low latitude developing nations where traditional, extensive approaches to shrimp aquaculture have resulted in the destruction of hundreds of thousands of hectares of mangrove habitats as mangroves are cleared for shrimp ponds. In Indonesia alone, P vannamei production increased by over 800% in the period 2000 to 2016, while commodity production (driven by shrimp aquaculture) was responsible for 75% of mangrove loss (799,940 ha). Shrimp aquaculture has destroyed mangroves across the globe and led to the loss of their critical ecosystem services, while also stifling production as traditional shrimp ponds are prone to pathogen induced production disruptions. Inadequate regulatory and enforcement mechanisms, along with limited market incentives to modernize production practices have stagnated innovation, but Climate Smart Shrimp employs a unique methodology to restore mangrove habitat (hydrologic and seed stock restoration) and grow P. vannamei yield (responsible intensification), delivering benefits to livelihoods and ecosystems. This modernized approach provides a scalable model for blended production and restoration.
Climate Smart Shrimp (CSS) is a green-gray infrastructure approach to restorative and regenerative aquaculture that employs loans to finance necessary technical and production improvements to responsibly intensify production in a portion of a farm’s ponds and restoration of mangroves in remaining ponds. Conservation International convened experts and partners in academia, NGOs, finance, and the private sector to pilot multiple CSS sites.
Herein, we present the technical and financial operational models for both the mangrove restoration and shrimp intensification components of CSS, a discussion of the approach’s limitations, and interim results from an Indonesian shrimp farm where CSS improvements are underway. The approach delivers a scalable model for restorative shrimp production and offers a financial and technical model that can be adopted by other globally traded commodities.