Find Seafood - Shrimp/Prawn

Shrimp is a popular choice for seafood lovers, frequently topping consumption lists in Asia, North America and Europe. While many species of wild prawns are found in every ocean and several, like the white shrimp, are farm-raised around the world, only a few can be enjoyed with a clean environmental conscience.

Many wild fisheries take large amounts of bycatch – some put the figure as high as 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of marine life for every one pound of shrimp caught – while conservationists link shrimp farms (primarily those in tropical countries) with the destruction of mangrove forests and poor socio-economic conditions. The Food & Agricultural Organization has recently indicated that bycatch which was once discarded is now being utilised in many parts of the world; furthermore, the use of selection technology (e.g., the Nordmøre grate) has been successful in reducing the incidental catch of non-shrimp species in fisheries employing the devices.

Conservation groups rate the following shrimp as sustainable seafood choices – meaning populations are healthy, the fishery or aquaculture operation is well managed and measures are taken to reduce environmental impacts like bycatch of unwanted marine life. Click on the individual species names below for complete species information, conservation notes, product form and buying tips.

Langoustines/Nephrops (Nephrops norvegicus): Known in the UK as langoustine, Dublin bay prawn or Norway lobster, the Loch Torridon creel or trap fishery in northwest Scotland is certified as sustainable to the Marine Stewardship Council standard. The total allowable catch is between 100 to 150 tonnes – the majority of which is exported live to continental Europe to meet high demand for this valuable species. In the Biscayne Bay, which includes the area from the westernmost point of Brittany to the Island of Oléron offthe western coast of France, 250 boats trawl for langoustines. The fishery was allowed to catch 4,320 tonnes in 2007 and the total allowable catch remains the same for 2008.

Shrimp (farmed U.S.): A growing number of U.S. shrimp farmers are succeeding in developing better practices for shrimp culture. For example, some of these farmers use closed-system, inland operations rather than farming shrimp along sensitive coastal areas.

Shrimp, Northern (Pandalus borealis): The most abundant species in the Pandalidae family, the northern shrimp is found in the cold waters of the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Arctic oceans. Most northern shrimp is caught using otter trawls; these coldwater shrimp trawl fisheries do not catch sea turtles (which prefer warmer water). The Gulf of St. Lawrence and Canadian Atlantic P. borealis fisheries, both of which are undergoing MSC assessment, run April through November, with peak landings in June through August. New England shrimp fishing begins in December and usually lasts four to six weeks.

Shrimp, Oregon Pink (Pandalus jordani): This cold-water shrimp species is smaller than most tropical shrimp, but its sweet taste and delicate texture have earned it a reputation for being more flavorful than its tropical relatives. This fishery has been certified as sustainable to the Marine Stewardship Council standard. Availability: Oregon pink shrimp is fished April through October.

Shrimp, Spot: Several species of these big (nearly 12 inches/30.5 cm) coldwater shrimp are caught primarily from Washington State to Alaska. All spot prawn caught on the U.S. West Coast are taken using traps, considered to be the most sustainable fishing method, and catches in recent years have been at near-record levels. Availability: Spring and summer in British Columbia; June through August in Washington; year round in Alaska.

Parts of this information are taken from Sourcing Seafood and/or the April 2008 issue of Afishianado.

Updated April 22, 2008.