Supply Chain Roundtable
Asian Farmed Shrimp
Read the Asian Farmed Shrimp SR 2023 workplan.
The Asian Farmed Shrimp Supply Chain Roundtable (SR) is an industry-led coalition of North American and European importers of Asian farmed shrimp. The SR focuses on addressing priority sustainability issues affecting shrimp production, including the effects of climate change.
The SR is a vehicle for driving change in major shrimp producing countries. The members advocate for policy and regulatory change through their supply chain networks and support the engagement of shrimp buyers with new and existing multi-stakeholder aquaculture improvement projects.
Building resilience against the effects of climate change on aquaculture farmers is possible through the implementation of landscape-based climate adaptation and mitigation projects. For example, a group of farmers can come together to coordinate mangrove restoration over a shared area, to build resilience against the impacts of climate change while also supporting carbon sequestration. Connecting shrimp buyers to these projects creates critical incentives and rewards that support farmers and governments in adopting this approach.
The current geographic focus of the SR is the major farmed shrimp producing regions of Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Members also continue to explore how to support improvements in other countries, including China and India.
- Aquastar
- Beaver Street Fisheries
- Eastern Fish Company
- Fortune International
- High Liner Foods
- Seafresh Group
- Thai Union (Blake Stok, SR Industry Chair)
- The Fishin’ Company
8 Active Asian Farmed Shrimp AIPs
8 Roundtable Participating Companies
14.2 % Farmed Shrimp Production Certified or in an AIP
Join This Roundtable
To join this Supply Chain Roundtable or for more information, please contact SFP.
Impact & Updates
The SR has shifted its strategic focus for 2023 to better understanding the risks of a changing climate on farmed shrimp supply chains, and taking action to mitigate and adapt to these risks through initiating new AIPs or supporting existing ones to broaden their improvement efforts.
Q3 2024 Update:
- In August, SFP signed a Cooperation Agreement with IDH focused on its Aquaculture Working Group on Environmental Footprint and the Asian Farmed Shrimp SR. IDH’s working group and the SR have similar ambitions to measure and reduce the impact of shrimp farming on the environment and climate. The strategic agreement lays out shared ambitions, how to help each other’s efforts, and to avoid duplication.
- During this quarter, SFP and the SR Chair also met with PlanetFWD, a greenhouse gas footprint and tracking technology company, to better understand the types of services and companies available to help SR participating companies.
Sector Background
Farmed shrimp accounts for more than two-thirds of production in the large-shrimp sector (shrimps larger than 100 per pound). The 2022 Target 75 (T75) analysis carried out by SFP shows that the volume of farmed shrimp classified as improving (wither certified to BAp >1 star, ASC, GlobalGAP, or in an aquaculture improvement project) increased from 660,000 tonnes in 2021 to >1 million tonnes. This represents 14.2% of global farmed production, an increase from 10.2% in 2021. This increase is mainly driven by an increase in farm certification in Ecuador, India, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and, to a lesser extent, by the launch of new aquaculture improvement projects (AIPs).
Farmed shrimp is a major import product into North American and European markets. It is typically produced in tropical countries, the bulk of it in Asia. Target 75 can only be achieved by expanding improvement efforts to shrimp production in China, which produces almost 2.5 million tonnes of large farmed shrimp and accounts for more than one-quarter of the large-shrimp sector.
Key issues include ensuring proper site selection and spatial planning to effectively manage disease risk and public water quality, and protection of sensitive habitats and ecosystems. There are also important considerations regarding marine feed ingredient sourcing and ensuring continued opportunities for small-scale producers.
Activity & Workplan
The Asian Farmed Shrimp SR can play a key role in supporting climate change resilience and adaptation in Asian shrimp farming regions, while also creating benefits for SR participants. Landscape-based climate mitigation projects can help build resilience and allow aquaculture farmers to adapt to the effects of climate change.
Typically, the opportunities to drive progress of climate change policies are not within the operations of an individual business (i.e., Scope 1 and 2 emissions), but rather can be achieved by addressing the indirect impacts within a company’s value chain (i.e., Scope 3 emissions). This means that addressing climate change requires businesses to work both within and beyond their direct supply chains. The SR’s 2023 workplan supports engagement of the entire supply chain by promoting dialogue, exchanging information in a pre-competitive fashion, and supporting education, ultimately facilitating global opportunities to foster climate change resilience and adaptation in aquaculture.
Read the full 2023 workplan.
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Join This Roundtable
To join this Supply Chain Roundtable or for more information, please contact SFP.