Category: Governance and Economics

The adoption of environmentally friendly models such as recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), Biofloc technology, rice-shrimp and mangrove-shrimp farming, can reduce emissions, protect ecosystems, create opportunities to participate in carbon markets, and thereby generate additional income for coastal communities.

Sustainability in aquaculture’s shrimp sector has borne many colors. At first, sustainability came with the realization that the environment should be protected and deforestation avoided. Then, sustainability grew to mean a formal list of social and environmental safeguards which growers had to comply with in exchange for a higher income.

In a coastal commune of Ca Mau’s Dong Hai district, Mr. Trinh Van Hoac stands by the edge of his shrimp ponds, watching the rhythmic churn of paddle aerators. For years, the hum of these machines was accompanied by a persistent anxiety: the rising cost of electricity.

Geospatial technologies provide a powerful suite of tools for addressing the environmental challenges of aquaculture and thus enabling more sustainable and responsible practices.

Aquaculture plays a critical role in ensuring global food security. Although aquaculture typically has a lower carbon intensity than many other forms of animal protein production, its increasing scale necessitates coordinated efforts to enhance sustainability.