Deepwater Horizon Spill Could Kill America's Wild Shrimp Industry

Deepwater Horizon exploded more than three weeks ago, and the damaged well continues to spew more than 250,000 gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico every day. While BP put out some new ideas to stop the spill (such as inserting a tiny tube, covering the area with a smaller version of its failed containment cap, and even stuffing the hole with garbage--yes, really), the wounded well continues to spit out massive amounts of oil.

While major media outlets continue to cover how the spill affects marine and coastal wildlife, there's one area that hasn't gotten much attention: wild shrimp harvesting in the Gulf. The Gulf of Mexico is home to one of the only sustainable shrimp harvesting operations in the world. Recently, though, the industry has teetered on the brink of collapse because cheap, imported farmed fish are pricing wild shrimp out of the market. Already, 90 percent of the shrimp Americans consume comes from overseas, mainly from shrimp farms in Asia. If oil poisons Gulf shrimp or makes them even more expensive, it could be the death knell for America's wild shrimp industry.

In order to understand just how grim that situation would be, it's important to understand why farmed shrimp hold such a horrible environmental reputation. The past several years saw massive shrimp farm development in places like Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and China. Farms brought the crustaceans' price down considerably (just think about how inexpensive those frozen bags-o'-shrimp are at grocery stores), but they also devastated the environment. Building shrimp farms requires clearing mangrove forests, a vital part of coastal ecosystems. Already, shrimp ponds have destroyed five percent of the world's mangroves--in some estuaries, 80 percent of the mangroves are gone. Plus, Asian shrimp ponds use massive amounts of antibiotics and pesticides to prevent diseases from sickening shrimp. That chemical-laden water along with shrimp excrement washes into the ocean. Much of it also ends up on your dinner plate.

Shrimp is currently the most consumed seafood in the U.S., with the average American stuffing down 4.2 pounds of the critters every year, almost double 1990's consumption rate. Given Americans' penchant for scampi and endless shrimp specials at Red Lobster, it's unlikely eaters will give up the succulent crustaceans. Of America's total shrimp consumption, wild-caught shrimp constitute only 10 percent, 75 percent of which comes from the Gulf of Mexico. If oil wipes out Gulf shrimp or even drives up prices, I fear that percentage will dwindle even lower.

It's devastating to even speculate the long-term effects of this accident, an event that could have been avoided. Tell the administration it was wrong to allow offshore oil drilling in the first place and that we won't stand for another spill harming our seafood and marine ecosystems.

Photo credit: US Coast Guard