The Case Against Farmed Shrimp

Published on Monday, September 28, 2009, by James Norton / Edit Post

Eaten shrimp recently? Planning on eating it soon? Ever hope to eat it again? Then you may want to avoid the antishrimp stemwinder on La Vida Locavore. After a lengthy windup, the blog presents a list of “nasty stuff that goes into [farmed] shrimp,” which includes:

“Urea
Superphosphate
Diesel oil
Piscicides (Chlorine, Rotenone)
Pesticides
More Piscicides
Antibiotics (including Chloramphenicol and Nitrofurans)
Antibiotic resistant bacteria
Sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP)
Borax
Caustic soda”

Delightful. And if it’s even 50 percent true, it’s a good case for seeking out wild-caught shrimp … or skipping the crustaceans entirely.

ALLFood Media
POST A COMMENT |4 Comments

COMMENT

  • I'm really curious where the author proposes most Americans get these "wild-caught" shrimp. I live in New York City, where you can pretty much buy anything you want if you're willing to pay for it, and I'm having trouble finding these mystical "wild-caught" shrimp. (Well, actually, I stopped having trouble: I stopped eating meat for this, among other reasons, but that's besides the point). Plus,...+READ

    I'm really curious where the author proposes most Americans get these "wild-caught" shrimp. I live in New York City, where you can pretty much buy anything you want if you're willing to pay for it, and I'm having trouble finding these mystical "wild-caught" shrimp. (Well, actually, I stopped having trouble: I stopped eating meat for this, among other reasons, but that's besides the point). Plus, what jaykayen said. The amount of seafood we consume now is simply unsustainable. What used to be a special treat is now a daily staple for most Americans. Stop eating so many of them!-COLLAPSE

  • Wild shrimp trawling produces more bycatch than any other fish-catching: 1/3 of the world's total bycatch, and 3 lbs of bycatch for every pound of wild shrimp.

  • Hmmm. My bag of frozen shrimp only lists the STPP. Maybe someone should have them tested in a lab...

  • One more reason to buy only local shrimp - same is said for imported seafood and even the locals will dip the seafood in a mix of clorox and water to lengthen the shelf life. Never buy shrimp if it has the least smell.