SSNC Murky Waters -Srhimp Farming Bangladesh
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Report
Murky waters
The environmental and social impacts of
shrimp farming in Bangladesh
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Preace 4
Introduction 6
The mangrove ecosystem 8
Shrimp production in Bangladesh 10
Sunderban: The beautiul orest 11
Chokoria Sunderbans: The orest with no trees 12
Fry Catching: Multiplying the madness 14
Flooding, salt-water intrusion and increased vulnerability to extreme weather 17
Khulna - the shrimp district 19
Shrimp arming and the violation o human rights 21
Shrimp arming rom a womens rights perspective 23
Is shrimp arming development? 25
Is there an alternative to shrimp arming? A visit to Polder 22 26
Toxic substance used in shrimp production 28
How traceable is your shrimp? 30
Following the trail rom Bangladesh to Sweden 31Conclusion 32
Content
Text: Ecostorm
Photo: Ecostorm, Phil Gains, Hanna Wolf, Martina Nilsson, Nina Wertholz and Kajsa Garpe
Projectleader: Kajsa Garpe
Layout: Ingela Espmark
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HannaWolf
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Preace
In 2011, people want to eat ood rom all over the world.
Many go to Tailand or their vacations, and want to eat the
same prawn soup when they come back home. Te act that
many imported goods that are consumed in Sweden are
podcd high co o popl nd h nvionmn in
oh coni, om h oi dinion, i
il ogon. And h glion i , dmnd i
a major determinant o the conditions under which the
good podcd.
T podcion o opicl himp on md
cmpi, gin himp, gmb o ig pn i nih
environmentally or socially sustainable. Shrimp can be
caught in the wild, or armed. Shrimp shing is highly
unselective. Amongst all sheries, trawling or shrimp
generates the highest proportion o by-catches the
ninndd cp o nmo oh pci o min
ognim.Shrimp arms are typically established in articial dams
in mangrove ecosystems or on ooded agricultural land.
Inniv nd mi-inniv ming qi h gl
application o eed, antibiotics and other chemicals. So
clld xniv ming in nll oodd qi
less input yet occupy larger areas o mangrove ecosystem or
gicll lnd. Sdi hv hon h h vl o h
ecosystem services that are lost as a result o shrimp arming
such as biodiversity, protection against storms and
erosion, carbon storage that mitigates climate change
greatly exceed the value o the shrimp that is produced.
Scientists and civil society organisations have also
documented environmental crimes and severe human
igh violion ld o h himp ind.
Fo mn ld, h Sdih Soci o N
Conservation (SSNC) has advised against Swedish imports,
ming nd conmpion o opicl himp. Togh
its extensive international networks, SSNC has regular
cc o inomion om cini, nd ogniion in
h coni h h pn podcd.
Ti po pn h l o cn invigion
o shrimp arming in Bangladesh. Te ndings are alarming.
Shimp ming in Bngldh i vidnl ninbl
and conicts o resource use with local communities are
commonplace. SSNC provides assistance to environmental
ogniion h o mngov nd xnd ppo
to aected coastal communities in shrimp producing
countries. Our partners propose and bring into play
environmental legislation while shaping public opinion
against unsustainable shrimp production. But unless
il nd conm civl op o pn, o inpodcion coni min infcin.
We call on all Swedish consumers, importers, shops and
restaurants to stop consuming, buying, selling and
marketing tropical shrimp. Shrimp or which there is no
dmnd ill no b md. Wh no himp md,
mangrove ecosystems and paddy elds can be restored.
Abining om h pn on h hi pl conib
o pving biodivi nd nghning h igh o
commnii o livlihood nd dcn liv.
Sdih Soci o N Convion, Spmb 2011
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Mangorve ecosystems are ound in the zone between land and sea.
KajsaGarpe
More than 50 % o the total population in Bangladesh is landless . The number olandless people has doubled over the past three decades.
HannaWolf
Pandalus marknadsr stora tigerrkor rn Bangladesh.
NinaWertholz
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Introduction
Aco Eopn pm od, opicl pn lin
h il o ozn ood cion, dcivl ining o
at passing shoppers. Deep-ried, barbecued, thrown into
stir-ries, tossed onto salads and commonplace on sushi, we
ing mo opicl pn hn v bo, dpi
l noing h h om o ho h hv bn
podcd.
In recent years the production o tropical prawns, or
himp, h lo non1, h ocd; i i mli-
billion dollar business, expanding each year, with global
production in excess o 1.3 million tonnes o shrimp per
year2, mostly rom just a small handul o countries. At ace
value, the growth in popularity o tropical prawns in
Eop, h US nd Jpn pp o b hml; php
even a positive example o much-needed trade or cash
ppd Sohn conomi. B h i hiddn li
h i no old; o h hond o mil omwhere the prawns are consumed. It is oen a story o
cologicl dmg, livlihood dcion nd copion.
Ti i h l o himp long d hdo.
A p o globl invigion ino Sdih impo o
tropical prawn, the Swedish Society or Nature Conservation
(SSNC) commissioned investigations in Bangladesh and
Ecdo.
In April 2011 the investigating team spent time in the
shrimp-producing areas o Bangladesh to determine the true
co o h con himp podcion. T nding om
Bangladesh are based on interviews and discussions with
community members and relevant experts. Community
mmb idnid nd ppochd bd pimil
on their willingness to testiy. Due to government sensitivity
and restrictions on reporting openly on the shrimp industry
in Bangladesh it was difcult to veriy the claims o the
vil lg. Mo invi h pp in hi po
flid ih Nij Koi3, civil oci ogniion in
Bngldh h nmb om 200 000 popl. Mmb
1 In certain countries bigger species are reerred to as prawns and smaller as shrimp. In other partso the world, it is the other way around. According to the FAO, a shrimp is a saltwater crustacean
and a prawn is a reshwater crustacean. For the purpose o this report, the terms shrimp and prawn
will be used interchangedly.
2 Walsh, B. 2011. The End o the Line. Time Magazine 07/07/11
3 http://www.nijerakori.org/
o Nijera Kori have aced strong governmental intimidation
in the recent past or their work in opposing environmental
degradation and human rights abuses in the area. Tis
piv id od poing on himp i in
Bangladesh was exemplied during the course o this
investigation, when a group o armed police were sent to
monitor and even attempt to detain the team, as they walked
ond ling ih h commnii.
Te situation in the shrimp-producing district o Khulna
was disheartening. Te scarcity o natural resources and the
vulnerability to extreme weather events were striking.
Violence and intimidation related to shrimp production
were commonplace. Based on more than 30 years experience
in working with coastal communities in Bangladesh, Nijera
Koi conm h h imoni, conind ihin hi
report, are in no way unique; but are part o a broader
pattern o negative impact already described by Nijera Korind oh. 456
In summary, prawn production is aggravating and
h dgding h iion o poo nd mginlizd
commnii in col Bngldh.
Te ndings o this report paint a grim picture o the
state o the tropical shrimp industry, and the negative
impc h i conin o hv on h nvionmn nd
on mginlid col commnii ond h old.
Finally, this investigation illustrates the degree to which
the problems identied on the ground in Bangladesh can be
traced directly back to ood that is on sale in some o
Sdn b non o, ch Ic, Vi nd Dgliv.
4 Ibid
5 Nijera Kori 2011. Background Description o Polder 20
6 Interview with Sadika Halim, Right to Inormation Commissioner or Bangladesh. April 2011
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PhilipGains
Shrimp ry catching in the Sunderbans.
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88
T mn good on h h old col
nd o b pocd. T coni onl vn pcn o
the area o the oceans, but due to their productivity they
ppl hl o h globl h oc. In ddiion, h
divi o com ch mngov nd col
is astounding. Te catches o sh and shellsh rom coastal
areas help eed three billion people and, not least, constitute
the main source o protein or 400 million people in the
old poo coni.
Mangrove ecosystems are ound in the zone between land
and sea along sub-tropical and tropical coasts. Tey are
among the most productive ecosystems on the planet. With
their labyrinths o stilt roots and trunks, the mangrove trees
act as nurseries, ood stores and shelter or sh, crustaceans,
molluscs and many other organisms. Tey also provide
protection against storms and waves, and reduce the risk o
col oion b biliing h oil. Fhmo, li lter the mangroves capture sediment and contaminants in
oing od h .
A common misconception is that the mangrove
ecosystem only consists o areas with mangrove trees. In
act, the mangrove orest may also contain zones o salt and
mud deposits.7 Te ecology o salt ats or salt marshes is very
complex and dynamic and their importance must not be
underestimated.89 Occasionally these typical ly barren zones
are ooded, allowing or reinvasion by marine animals,
usually crabs and sh. Te alternating cycles o lie and
death result in the release o large amounts o nutrients that
become available when ooded. Saline lagoons and salt ats
play a substantial role in the unctioning, maintenance and
bili o iv dl, col lgoon nd mbmn.
T lo impon hbi o migo bid.
Ocn nd col zon hv n nomo cpci o
o cbon. Cbon h i n p b min niml
and plants can accumulate in sediments on the ocean oors.
Sediments in mangrove orests and the associated salt
7 Defnition o mangrove ecosystems 1986. Gul o Guayaquil, Ecuador by University o DelawareNewark and Centro de Levantamientos Integrados de Recursos Naturales por Censores Remotos
(CLIRSEN)
8 Proposed Ramsar Guidelines For Designating Salt Flats as Wetlands o International Importance.
www.lewisenv.com/Salt_Flat_drat_or_MAP.doc
9 Cullinan, M et al. 2004. Salt Marshes - A Valuable Ecosystem. The Traprock 3:20 - 23
marshes can store carbon or thousands o years. Stable
min nd col com h hlp miig clim
chng.
Millions o people depend on mangroves or their
livelihood. Tey sh, collect shellsh, building materials and
rewood, and use plants rom the mangrove orests as
medicines. Mangrove orests and salt marshes are
disappearing at an alarming rate. About hal o the mangroveo h onc xid ld gon. Shimp ming
has been the main reason or the loss in many countries, and
h ind conin o po io h.
The mangrove ecosystem
Ecostorm
KajsaGarpe
Murky waters
Mangrove ecosystems are among the most productive ecosystems on the planet.
Mangrove ecosystems are highly productive and diverse.
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99
BangladeshSurface: 147 570 km2 (one third o Sweden)
Population: 164.4 million
Capital: Dhaka
Government: republic
Natural resources: natural gas, arable land, timber, coal
Life expectancy: 67 years
Median age: 23.5 years
Under-5 mortality: 57 per 1,000
Adult literacy: 55 per cent
Unemployment: 5.1 percent (note: about 40 percent o the population is
underemployed)HDI-ranking10: 129/169
CPI-ranking11: 134/178 (CPI or Bangladesh is 2.4, CPI or e g Sweden is 9.2)
Shrimp production: 102 854 metric tons (2008-2009)
Shrimp export: 50 368 metric tons (2008-2009), together with other rozen ood
shrimp exports constitutes 2.73% o export earnings12
Mangrove ecosystem: Approximately 200 000 250 000 hectares o mangrove
orest have been destroyed or shrimp cultivation.
Small-scale fisheries: Fish and isheries have always been important or many
people in Bangladesh, generating income or millions o people and constituting 60
% o animal protein intake.13
10 Human Development Index (HDI) is used to measure the prosperity. It is a comparative measure o lie expec-
tancy, literacy, education and standards o living or countries worldwide. To compare, Swedens position is 9/169.
11 The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) measures the level o corruption in the public sector. The CPI is an
aggregate indicator that compiles aspects o corruption such as bribery o public ofcials, kickbacks in publicprocurement, embezzlement o public unds, and eectiveness o public sector anti-corruption eorts.
12 Statistics rom the Trend Index, Export Promotion Bureau, Ministry o Commerce, Government o Bangladesh
13 Jentot, S . Eide A. 2011. Poverty Mosaics: Realities and Prospects in Small-Scale Fisheries
IndiaBurma
NepalBhutan
Laos
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1010
Shrimp production in Bangladesh covers an area o 217 877
hc, nd i ocd in o on h colin. 20%
o nionl podcion plc ond Cox Bz in
Chittagong in the South Eastern corner o Bangladesh, and
the remaining 80% close to the Sunderbans mangrove orest
in the South West, within the districts o Khulna, Bagerhat,
Jessore, Narail, Gopalganj and Noakhali.14 As a nation,
Bngldh i on o h op n globl pn podc,
supplying roughly 55% to the EU and 35% to the USA, with
h mind going o Jpn.
opicl himp h l bn n impon p o
Bangladeshi diet, especially so in coastal regions, where
boh min ild-cgh nd h- himp pci,
cultivated alongside rice crops in paddy elds, have
diionll conibd o vid di in h col nd
ivin . T pci incld harina, chali, bagda,
rashna, chamni, chaka nd galda himp o nm .With the birth o global trade in tropical shrimp however,
lnd pn bgn o chng bn npn,
lh lndon nd nnionl bn li ogh
o boo po nd Bngldh nionl incom. In h
l 90 h o-clld bl volion bon. B 2003-4
it was reported that $378 million were earned rom this
sector alone, marking it out as one o the most protable
export industries in the country,15 as black tiger bagda
himp (Penaeus monodon) nd - gld himp
(Macrobrachium rosenbergi), became sought aer overseas.
Shrimp arming had become big business and tales o
nomo po mgin lld h xpnion.
14 Nupur, J.M. 2010. Problems and Prospects o Shrimp Farming in Bangladesh
15 Ibid
Shrimp production in Bangladesh
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Ecostorm
In the Khulna district, shrimp arming has converted extensi ve areas o armland to
export-oriented shrimp arming.
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11
11
Spanning almost 10 000 square kilometers across two
coni nd dignd Unco Wold Hig i,
h Sndbn i, b , h lg mngov com
in h old. Ti moqio-ind lnd o ngld oo,
md nd lin , povid nc o om o
the worlds most endangered mammals. Te vulnerable
Irrawaddy dolphin16, endangered Gangetic dolphin17 and
saltwater crocodile are amongst the myriad o animals
hich hiv in h o h oodd o. Snd
clo o h povid ning o oliv idl
turtles, whilst urther inland dry areas provide precious
habitat or the largest remaining population o Bengal tigers
on earth, with a population estimated to be in excess o
several hundred18 individuals that reside within the orests
dwindling borders. 58 species o mammal, 55 species o
reptile and around 31519 bird species live in the Sunderbans.20
It may seem an inhospitable place, but the salty, tiger-roaming habitat o the Sunderbans is much more than a
convioni gm v. Fo hndd nd php
thousands o years, the immense biodiversity o Bangladeshs
coastal orests has supported and underpinned the
livelihoods o communities living close by to them, who have
long depended upon the mangrove ecosystem or ood,
hl nd incom. Indd, h v oodd o, ho
name Sunderbans translates as beautiul orest, is thought
o b nmd h Sndi , on o 30 pci o
commonly occurring within the orest, and a species that
ofers excellent timber or construction. Other construction
mil o hoing lo go, incldinggol pata o nip
palm, commonly used or building house roos. Honey, bees-
wax, crustaceans and mollusks are other resources regularly
harvested rom the Sunderbans along with an estimated 150
sh species, which orm a crucial role in coastal diets o
commnii.21
16 IUCN Red List o Threatened Species 2011 http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/15419/017 IUCN Red List o Threatened Species 2011 http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/41756/0
18 Forest o TigersAnnu Jalais, Routledge New Delhi 2010, p. 1
19 Ramsar 2009.World Atlas o Mangroves 2009, p. 85
20 Sunderban Biosphere Reserve http://www.sundarbanbiosphere.org/html_fles/auna.htm
21 Gain, P. 2006. Stolen Forests SEHD, p. 82
Despite the respect traditionally given to the beautiul
o, in cn dcd h Sndbn o co
Bngldh hv bn dcimd nd dgdd, nd mch
o hi h bn cd b goh in himp ming o
export, driven by a growing demand in Europe and the
Unid S. T dgdion i n ongoing poblm h
to this day threatens to urther degrade the Sunderbans, and
h commnii ho dpnd pon i.22
Interview with Javed Sana, nipa palm collector, Harinagar District Bangladesh
Sunderban: The beautiul orest
The orests o Bangladesh are veryimportant; ater all they are all we have. Ourlives will lack nothing i the orest is healthy22
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Sunderbans is the worlds largest mangrov ecosystem and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
MartinaNilsson
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12
In h oh o Bngldh, clo o Cox Bz, h
Chooi Sndbn onc pld co 8 500 hc
lnd. Li mngov ond h Soh Ai, hi od
onc mndol div, poviding nc
o hndd o pci; inclding ig nd d, mid
o commercially important sh species, as well as providing
timber, thatch, medicine and shelter to the communities
who lived around it.23 But shrimp thrive in muddy, brackish
h i commonl ond in h mngov com,
o ih h n-ond hng o himp in indilizd
coni, nd bli h himp m old hlp c
development; the World Bank and Asian Development Bank
ndd pojc in h 1980 h dod lg cion
o the orest, helping to transorming a biodiversity treasure-
ov ino -l lndcp inpd onl b h
occasional root or irrigation-canal drain that eeds into the
mid o himp pond.242526 T cl-lld dvioni ndipd. Evn h Ain Dvlopmn Bn, ho in
p nncd h mngov dcion h oo plc in
23 Roban Rosan Chokoria Sunderbans a dead horse New Age Magazine, August 9th 200324 Chowdhury, S.R.K. 2009. Devastating Development: a case o WB and ADB fnanced ecological
debt. Climate Justice Campaign Brie
25 Gain, P. 2002. The Last Forests o Bangladesh
26 Choudhury, A.M., Quadir, D.A., Islam, J. 1994. Study o Chokoria Sundarbans using remote sensing
techniques. Technical report
Chokoria, admits that the clearing o mangrove in the
Chooi Sndbn nd h pojc h cll dcd
himp/h bding nd n gond in h .27
It is painul ly ironic that the destruction and replacement
o the mangrove ecosystem in Chokoria or prawn arms
oo plc onibl o hlp boo locl h podcionpl hogh pn ming, in h min bli h
hi old llvi l pov. 282930
27 Asian Development Bank 1989. Project Completion Report o t he Aquaculture Development
Project in Bangladesh
28 Asian Development Bank 1989. Project Completion Report o t he Aquaculture DevelopmentProject in Bangladesh
29 Pro. Raquib Ahmed prepared these two images or Society or Environment and Human Develop-
ment (SEHD) flm, Chokoria Sunderbans: A Forest without Trees
30 Asian Development Bank 1989. Project Completion Report o t he Aquaculture Development
Project in Bangladesh
Chokoria Sunderbans: The orest with no trees
The main objectives were topromote shrimp aquacultureproduction to generate oreign exchangeearnings, increase the availability o fshor domestic consumption, and enhanceincomes and employment in the rural areas.30
Murky waters
Chokoria
Sunderbans beore
and ater the shrimp
arming expansion.
Mangrove areas are
showed in green.25
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1313
Dhaka April, 2011
Philip Gain, Executive Director of the Soceity for Environment
and Develompent in Bangladesh
There is a direct link between shrimp arming and mangrove loss.
I you look at what happened in Chokoria Sunderbans , it was a
unique patch o 8 500 hectares. Ater shrimp arming started it was
completely cut. When we replace a ore st like that with prawn
aquaculture, we lose everything. We lose all biological diversity;
Chokoria used to have monkeys, crocodiles and it was rich breedingground or ish. Now, i you go there it is barren, rom a distance it
looks like a desert . The chain in nature is completely broken, no tree
stands, no animals, no ish, nothing is let.
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HannaWolf
Shrimp production have resulted in extensive areas o inertile and usele ss land.
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T clivion o pn o o pl po noh
silent threat to Bangladeshs marine environment: the
collcion o ild himp d o oc himp pond
with. Approximately 60% o all the shrimp grown in
Bangladeshs vast network o ponds originate rom wild-
caught ry, and the process used to catch these is deeply
destructive. Every day tens o thousands o people trawl the
canals, muddy channels and beaches o the Sunderbans and
Cox Bz ih v n n, in ch o himp .
Once ound, these tiny larvae wi ll be sold onto a succession
o middl mchn bo ing li in himp pond.
But in the process o catching the shrimp ry, enormous
qnii o oh min li cgh nd dipod o.
Tese include juvenile sh that are vital or coastal
ecosystems and depended upon or ood by rural
commnii.
Fo v 100 ig pn i h cgh, p o 5 000
oh p o h nd zoo plnon il ld, nd l o
die on the muddy riverbanks where the ry-collectors gather
to sort their catch.31 Te knock-on eects o this ry-
hving pcic on ivin colog nd in n ho
who depend upon river systems or their ood are proound.
According to Rizwana Hassan, the Director o the
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association and a
Goldmn Piz inn32, vl mil lion col popl in
Bangladesh eat protein decient meals and shrimp arming
pl cnl ol o hi gic iion. T kai, magur,
shoal, taki, royna and bele fsh are now thought to be extinct
hich, ccoding o Hn, cn b lind bc o himp
collcion.33
31 Hoq. E. 1999. Environment and Socio-Economic impacts o shrimp culture in south-western
Bangladesh. UN-FAO
32 http://www.goldmanprize.org/2009/asia
33 Hasan, R.S. 2009. Commerical Shrimp Cultivation: Food Security, Social and Environmental Impact,
presentation
Fry Catching: Multiplying the madness
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Frycatching is typ ically carried out by women and children that lack other alternatives.
Ecostorm
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15
Shimp collcion h bn cid b om bn o
himp ming, oing ch incom nd h dg o
empowerment to women, who would otherwise have no
work. But ar rom supporting people, shrimp ry collection
i idl n o b difcl, dngo nd nding.
Furthermore, ry collection is a widespread employer o
children and women who are struggling at the very margins
o oci o viv, on hving lo hi livlihood
d o h ngiv impc o himp ming in h
place.34 Rather than liing them out o poverty, many
women are compelled to collect ry as bonded labourers;
obliged to pay back loans under extremely high rates ointerest to middlemen or dhadon as they are known. 35
Stories o stillbirth, skin diseases and other sickness sufered
b pgnn omn nd childn, cd om ding in
h o ho v d, commonplc.36
As the shrimp ry numbers have decreased over the years
in the canals and river channels close to armland, it is
alleged that the ry collectors and the middlemen who
exploit them, have ventured urther aeld, travelling by
bo, dp ino pocd Sndbn , h xp
claim they are annihilating juvenile sh numbers, reducing
biodiversity and undermining the unction o marine
ecosystems in the heart o the worlds largest remaining
mngov o.37
34 Khanam, K. 2009. Women Shrimp Fry Collectors at Joymonir Thota. In Gain, P. Investigative
Reports Environment and Human Rights, SEHD , p. 221.
35 Murtaza, G. 2004. Women in Shrimp Cultivation and their Insecurity in the SouthWestern Coastal
Belt o Bangladesh. In Participatory Planning and Environment Management or Salinity AectedCoastal Regions o Bangladesh, p. 78
36 Khanam, K. 2010. Women Shrimp Fry Collectors at Joymonir Thota, rom Investigative Reports
Environment and Human Rights, Edited by Gain, P. SEHD Dhaka
37 Interview with Philip Gain, Executive Director o the Society or Environment and Development in
Bangladesh. 2011
When they use
mosquito net to catch
shrimp ry, a lot o other
kinds o ish get killed by
this. When they sit down
to collect the shrimp ry,they throw away the
other ish ry on the
river bank. All the small
ishes are dying, they
are not getting any
chance to grow. In the
river these days you get
hardly any ish. It is
almost down to nothing.
Charbandhah, April 2011
Biddut Sardar, shrimp fry collector
Over the last ew days I have e arned around Taka 10-20
(10-20 cents). We will buy whatever we can get with this
money. Where will I get money to b uy the things I need?
There is no uture in this but we have to live on this only!
What else can we do about it?
Kamarkhali, April 2011
Montosh, boat driver
For every 100 tiger prawn riesthat are caught, up to 5 000other types o fsh and zoo plankton are killed
Ec
ostorm
For each shrimp larvae that is caught, some 50 ish larvae and other
organisms are thrown away to die on the shores o the river.
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1616
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HannaWolf
PhilipGains
Ec
ostorm
The demand or tropical shrimp rom the EU, US and Japan is uelling the exapansion o shrimp arming.
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1717
Te low lying coastal lands o Bangladesh are requently
subjected to extreme weather events, cyclones and storm
g olling in om h B o Bngl nd Bngldh
col popl hv lnd o dp o h chllng h
n ho hm. T bl gin lin inion
onto otherwise non-saline ertile lands is a constant one.
Where there is coastal orest the ecosystem is more resilient;
the mangrove ecosystem provides a natural sponge-like
buer against the eects o cyclones. Where orests have
been destroyed, as in the Chokoria Sunderbans, the impacts
o such extreme events are exacerbated. With the advent o
climate change, extreme weather events may increase in
number and strength, posing severe risks or coastal
commnii in Bngldh.
o maintain valuable agricultural land in low-lying coastal
Bangladesh, one simple but undamentally important
dign i h o h mbnmn; high-idd ll bil in
the 1960s that protect ertile at lands and vil lages rom salt
water intrusion. But these historically eective barriers
against storms are beginning to all apart, with dire
conqnc o popl ho dpnd pon hm; nd i i
climd h mjo c o hi dc i himp m.
Sluice-gates in the embankments provide a way or
gicl m o conol hn nd ho mch
h choo o iig o ood hi lnd ih. Fm
will, or example, commonly look to irrigate their lands only
when resh water comes in rom upstream, and close the
dm hn h l o p om h B o Bngl.
Flooding, salt-water intrusion and increased
vulnerability to extreme weather
Murky waters
Ec
ostorm
Paddy ields that used to provide livelihoods and ood security or many villagers can be turned into saline ponds, literally overnight. The consequences are disasterous.
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18
Te reverse is true or shrimp armers, as shrimp arms need
gl ppli o bcih o l o p himp
pond civ, nd in od o do hi, himp podc in
Khulna typically insert pipelines or sluice gates into the
mbnmn ll iho pmiion, nbling o
o bc nd oh; nd mn hc o vlbl pddcan be turned into a saline pond or shrimp, literally
ovnigh.
When the land is inundated with saline water, almost all
cop nd i nbl o go, ing hvoc ih
ming commnii ho dpnd pon h pl cop
o viv. Mo hn 30% o ll o Bngldh clivbl
lnd i in col nd o hi 2.86 million h in ol,
1.06 million ha o arable land are afected by salinity and the
greatest salinity concentrations are ound in areas under
bcih himp clivion.38
Te excess o sluice gates in the embankments, due to
prawn arming also dramatically reduces the ability o walls
to withstand periodical storms.39 Cyclone Aila hit
Bngldh on 25h M 2009 nd id gnci imd
h 3.9 million popl md homl nd ppoxi-
ml 140 000 hc o mlnd dod in n
inn.40 Aond h himp m o Dcop Diic, h
embankment walls around the rivers were rapidly breached,
sending saltwater pouring into thousands o hectares o
il lnd nd iping o villg in m o min.
38 SRDI and Bangladesh Government 2009. Soil Salinity Report
39 Onneshan, U. 2009 Cyclone Aila Initial Assessment Report with ocus on Khulna District. Forest
Peoples Program
40 Red Cross and Red Crescent Operations update Cyclone Aila November 9th 2009
Panshu, Dacop District , April 2011
Basu Debroy, elected official
Basu Bebroy spoke to the team rom the isolated
embankment in his community that three years later still is
home to many reugees who are unable to return to theirsalt-destroyed homelands, three years ater cyclone Aila
struck.
I would say that this was the worst incident that I have seen
in my lie. The embankments were breached and water
overlowed.Areas where water overlowed on the day o
[cyclone] Aila and where roads were washed out are those
places where the embankment was cut to insert a pipe to
get the saline water inside to make shrimp. Almost 99-
100% o these areas were broken and the water came in.
This I would say was the main reason or the destruction.
Because o the shrimp arms the problem o river er osion
has worsened, the impact s on the environment are worse.
Our lands are getting destroyed, our lie and livelihood are
at stake, people o this area do not have much income. We
are going through a very hard time a ter Aila. We did not
get any crop or the last three ye ars now. There is no doctor
here, people do not have any ood at home, we are
disconnected rom the rest o the country.
Ecostorm
When the land is inundatedwith saline water, almost all cropsand ruits are unable to grow, wreakinghavoc with arming communities whodepend upon these staple crops to survive.
PhilipGaines
Sluice gates regulates irrigation and looding o the land.
3,9 million people became homeless due to the impacts o cyclone Aila.
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19
Te district o Khulna lies in the ar south-west o
Bangladesh, a low-lying area o densely populated ertile
lands, and interweaving river channels that border the great
o o h Sndbn. B in cn hi ming
diic h chngd bond cogniion. Wh onc
lush paddy elds and grazing areas capable o sustaining
countless amilies have become muddy deserts, watery
wastelands devoted to the pursuit o export-orientated
pn podcion.
Fo ov dcd no, Khln h bn h cn o
Bangladeshs prawn industry; it is estimated that 73 000
hectares o land are devoted to shrimp arming41
outstripping in size even the arms built on the orested
lands o Chokoria around Coxs Bazaar. In the districts
ond Khln hov, h m hv bn bil no on
orests, but on armland; and according to civil rights
ognizion, h id-nging conqnc o hi hvbn cophic.
41 Chakma, S, Amberntsson. 2002. Mangrove at Risk in Bangladesh, Bangladesh. Observer November
21st, 2002
Khulna the shrimp district
Murky waters
What were once lush paddyfelds and grazing areas capableo sustaining countless amilies have becomemuddy deserts, watery wastelands.
Sorting the shrimp ry.
HannaWolf
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2020
In 2004, the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF)
pblihd po hich dcibd h himp-podcing
gion o Khln in Soh-Wn Bngldh n
that was besieged by violence, intimidation and corruption
nd h himp ind od oghhod ov h lnd
and in some cases, even the lives o communities caught up
in the cross-re.42 Since then, there has been little i any
inomion ld on h iion in h gion.
For the purpose o this report, the investigation team
viid commnii in h ond Khln, o cod
the testimonies and experiences o those who live there. Te
area known as Polder 20 in Upazila Paikgacha district, close
to Khulna is home to around 1 220 people on 2 400 hectares
o lnd.43 Pold 20 i h picn o ggl in h
gion o ming commnii o gin hi lnd nd
their livelihoods rom shrimp armers. As armers risk
having their land ooded, the ood gates have become ashpoints or threats, violence and intimidation; and as the
team was told during our investigation, it is a scene that
llgdl p il in li Pold 20 v on.
42 EJF in partnership with WildAid 2004. Desert in the Delta: A report on the environmental, human
rights and social impacts o shrimp production in Bangladesh
43 Nijera Kori 2010. Background Description o Polder 20
Nijera Kori, civil society organization with some
200 000 members
Nijera Kori in its current orm and ocus was ormed in
1980 with the aim to work on on rural social mobilization
at ield level without becoming a service-based approach
NGO, which would simply create dependency among the
target population. Nijera Kori began to concentrate on
addressing the situation which causes poverty and
destitution o rural people rather than temporarily
ameliorating the suering o those who ace d such
circumstances. Development activities o Nijera Kori are
directed towards the establishment o rights o the
downtrodden people. Nijera Kori has a strong gender
ocus and works to change the biased male perception
towards women and encourages women to recognize and
assert their own position in society. In addition, it is the
view o Nijera Kori that an accountable, democratic
environment is absolutely essential or development.
Nijera Kori also believes in an environment riendly
sustainable development process.
Khushi Kabir gather the community members or a meeting.
HannaWolf
Shrimp arming has converted this once ertile land to a lieless deser t.
Ecostorm
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According to Nijera Kori, landless armers have been
pd nd divn o hi lnd, ocd o viv on h
margins o once-ertile land; they are cut-of and surrounded
by ooded ponds ull o shrimp, salty barren wastelands
that were once theirs to arm. Despite owning land-holding
certicates, amilies who have lived o the land or
generations told the team that they ace continued violence,
inimidion nd hdhip i h i h ocibl h o
hi lnd.
For those armers who resist, an allegedly corrupt police
administration44 45 and judiciary oen awaits their
complaints. Amnesty Internationals reports on Bangladesh
om 2008-2011 conm h c o bi nd
detention, excessive use o orce, torture and other violations
o human rights are commonplace.46 A common tactic
mplod b h po-himp dminiion, dcibd o
h m b vio invi, i o l ciminl chg
no gin h himp m o h hg ho oi
44 Interviewees in Bangladesh repeatedly presented allegations o police corruption to the investiga-tors
45 According to Transparency Internationals 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index, Bangladesh scores
2.4 on a scale rom 10 (highly clean) to 0 (highly corrupt). The country is currently ranked 134 out o
178 countries reviewed by Transparency International.
46 Amnesty International 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011. Annual Reports Bangladesh.
Shrimp arming and the violation o human rights
Murky waters
People have gathered in Polder 20 to talk about the impacts o the shrimp industry.
Ecostorm
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22 22
h commnii nd l hi lnd, b h on ho
ho complin bo bing hon o hi lnd in h
plc, civl ilncing h vicim ino bmiion. T
h ngh o h clim o h villg, chod in h
od o v commni mmb pon o b h m
ding hi invigion, ongl gg h h violn
patterns documented by EJF in 2004 still remain. Te abuses
docmnd 2011 b h m in plc ch Pold 20
ld o h m clivion o himp; podc h
onc hvd, ozn, pcgd nd old o xpo o
o pm nd dinn bl in Eop.47
47 In September 2011 Gautam Mondol has not yet been convicted on any o the charges against him
Dhaka, April 2011
Khushi Kabir, co-ordinator Nijera Kori
Its very simple to take
land rom people in
Bangladesh. People whoare poor, and powerless
do not have the ability
to hold onto their land.
The police take the side
o the shrimp armers
and do everything they
can to support them. In the
last two months we have had many cases o conlicts, people
trying to resist the looding o their lands or shrimp. There have
been a lot o alse cases, violence, people beaten up.
Modhukhali, Khulna District , April 2011
Anonymous farmer
We have some land but it is all under saline water. We simply
cant plant anything on it. My husband and I were badly beaten
up while trying to stop them to looding saline water inside our
land. We are still resisting it, even ater get ting harassed and
beaten up by them. We leave our children home alone at night
and go to keep a vigil on the gates. While sitting there at night
the goons come in ishing boats . They come with arms and we
ight them empty-handed. We get beaten up, we get harassed,
but we still keep resisting. We do not want the shrimp arms. We
want to plant paddy and plants so that we can ensure some
ood or our children. We do not want saline water anymore. I
we can get sweet water, then we will be able to grow some rice
and stock some ood or six months and survive. Then we can
ensure some minimal ood or our children. We can also send
them to school. This is all we want. You cannot imagine how
hard it is or us to live in this situation.My request to my brother s
in a oreign land, i you can stop eating shrimps rom our
country then there is chance or us to live. I you do not stop
eating shrimps then we have no other way to live, we will die.
Radhangar, Polder 20, April 2011
Gautam Mondol, farmer
They [the shrimp armers ] have the local administration in their pockets by using money the politicians are also bought by
them. They are suppressing us by iling cases ater alse cases. At present there are ive alse cases against me. I am accused
only because I am part o the movement against saline water. The toughest case against me is that I am accused in a murder
case. I am also accused o ighting, loot, extortion o money; we are all accused o dierent acts o violence and extortion.
Once I was in jail or 16 days and the second time or our months. I was hanged; I also was also given electric shock . They
wanted to send a message across my community by tor turing me like that. They did not ask me anything about the murder.But they asked me why we are with Nijera Kori! Why this movement against saline water? This is not what you should be
doing, they said.47
Collecting drinking water requires a long journey nowadays.
HannaWolf
People who are poor, andpowerless do not have theability to hold onto their land.
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Te negative patterns o land grabbing and intimidation
recorded by the team in shrimp arming areas around
Khulna, clearly aect entire amilies whose lands and
livlihood hv bn dod. Accoding o Nij Koi
nd xp in h ld o omn igh hov, h i
allegedly a particularly negative impact towards women,
iing om h pd o himp qcl pond.484950
T co m i o vi o on; in o
himp m ond Khln i i llgd h omn o
xmpl hv bcom mo vlnbl; h ocd o
l h o gh , ood nd ood, nd h
mo lil o b lon, ih h hbnd qnl
working in cities ar away due to loss o their armland.
Fhmo himp m on on mplo mn om
outside o the local communities, whose job it is to arm and
police the shrimp ponds themselves, creating a local
demographic imbalance and provoking unease in a tightly-knit and traditionally conservative, rural village society.
According to Nijera Kori, allegations o rape and even
kidnap o women are relatively commonplace, but are oen
hd o pov. In h vn o n c o hmn, i
woman should complain, it is also alleged that the judiciary
i mch mo lil o id ih h ml-domind nd
po-himp ming li hn h ml vicim; cing
boh ling o hopln on h p o omn, nd
n o immni on h p o himp m mplo,
ho h ponill bl o c o hmn nd
or violent crimes with a degree o impunity. Violence
towards women in Bangladesh is sadly widespread, but
nonetheless Nijera Kori, working in various coastal areas o
Bangladesh, claims that the host o actors described above,
h cd iion h omn mo lil o b
vicim o xl violnc hn indil himp ming
i ing plc in hi .51
48 Interview with Sadika Halim, Right to Inor mation Commissioner or Banlgadesh. April 2011
49 Murtaza, G. 2004 Women in Shrimp Cultivation and their Insecurity in the Southwest Coastal Belt
o Bangladesh. In Participatory Planning and Environmental Management or Salinity Aected Coastal
Regions o Bangladesh, p.78,
50 Halim, S. 2004. Marginalisation or Empowerment? Womens Involvement in Shrimp Cultivationand Shrimp Processing Plants in Bangladesh in Women Gender and Discrimination, edited by Hossain,
K,T. Imam M,H. And Habib, M, H. University o Rajshani in co-operation with DFID UK, p.110
51 Nijera Koris claims are supported by e g Murtaza, G. 2004. Women in Shrimp Cultivation and
their Insecurity in the Southwest Coastal Belt o Bangladesh. In Participatory Planning and Environ-
mental Management or Salinity Aected Coastal Regions o Bangladesh, p.78,
Allgion o p obviol h mo xm b
towards women documented in this research, but according
o Sdi Hlim, Righ o Inomion Commiion o
Bangladesh and an expert on the rights o women across thecon, ch imoni no iold, b om p o
bod pn o b co h himp co.52
Proponents o the shrimp industry requently suggest
that employment in ry catching, pond clearance and
processing-plant production lines provide women with a
dg o mpomn hogh g-ning ponil.
But experts and interviewees that the team spoke to dispute
this. Tey maintain that the shrimp industry in Bangladesh
requently undermines the rights and security o women at
ll g o h himp podcion poc. Sdi Hlim
is one o them: Several studies on shrimp arming have
unearthed evidence that clearly suggests that it is the women
and children o shrimp arming communities who suer
h mo, ocill nd conomicll, ll hogh h
violion o hi hmn igh, bing bjcd o vio
om o phicl violnc, inclding p nd o.53
52 Interview with Sadika Halim, Right to Inormat ion Commissioner or Banlgadesh. April 2011
53 Bangladesh Centre or Advanced Studies 2001. Fry Collectors Livelihood Study
Shrimp arming rom a womens rights perspective
Dhaka. April 2011
Sadika Halim, Right to Information Commissioner for
Bangladesh
Women are acing dierent kinds o harassment and violence; a
very miniscule number o women are going and reporting it to thepolice; the law enorcement agencies are partisan and corrupt.
Those who perpetrate the violence are always powerul. They will
use their political power and will bribe their way through and will
keep the law enorcing agencies under their grip. When these wo-
men go [to the police] , they do not get any justice and they lose all
hope and the rest do not bother to go and report such cases.
Murky waters
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2424
Women ry collectors, or example, requently work or little
or no income, oen in a relationship o bonded labour with
ry traders or dhadon who they are requently indebted
o.54 Evn i h no mplod, i i ml mmb o
h hohold ho on m hv o o hd bc
o the damaging impacts o shrimp arms; orced to look or
l, non-lind nd ood om .
Nmo himp pocing pln ond h iv
on the outskirts o Khulna. Heavily guarded and suspicious
o oign obv, cc o h pln impoibl
or the team. According to the research carried out by
Sadika Halim, women in processing plants ace urther
inimidion, nncil inci nd hlh i, h
prepare shrimp or export to the EU and USA.55 56
Processing plants requently employ women with casual
labour contracts, promoting nancial insecurity and
pvning hm om oming nion o oh plomrom which they might ght or better standards in the
workplace. Women oen all victim to harassment and
prostitution with actory supervisors to help guarantee their
job in h bnc o oml conc.
According to Sadika Halim it appears that women see
employment in shrimp, whether catching ry, cleaning
pond o oing in coi, h onl o in no-
choice situation where opportunities or productive
nggmn cc. Shimp podcion h no onl
ld o conomic dpivion nd cologicl dgdion o
h col b h lo mginlizd h poo o
h poo ho mol omn, concld Hlim.57
54 Murtaza, G. 2004. Women in Shrimp Cultivation and their Insecurity in the Southwest Coastal Belt
o Bangladesh. In Participatory Planning and Environmental Management or Salinity Aected Coastal
Regions o Bangladesh, p.78
55 Halim, S. 2004. Marginalisation or Empowerment? Womens Involvement in Shrimp Cultivationand Shrimp Processing Plants in Bangladesh in Women Gender and Discrimination. Edited by Hossain,
K,T. Imam M,H. And Habib, M, H. 2004 University o Rajshani in co-operation with DFID UK, p.110
56 Interview with Sadika Halim, Right to Inormation Commissioner or Bangladesh. April
2011
57 Interview with Sadika Halim, Right to Inormation Commissioner or Bangladesh. April 2011
Roskok, Khulna District, April 2011
Rafiza
Rafiza was raped as a teenager by a shrimp farm
employee
This boy proposed to
me to have a relationship
but I did not respond to
him. Then he started
threatening to kill me.
He orced me to have
sex with him. It happened
around my home, in the shrimp ar m. This kind o
violence, rape ot en takes place in this area. There are a
lot o workers who come rom other par ts o the
country. The shrimp arm owners do not say anything,
to keep the cheap workers happy. A ew months ago
another girl was raped by a worker. But the arm
owners help and protect their workers. For a poor girllike me, it is not possible to run a case against the
rapist. So these people never get punished and we
cannot ight against this violence..
Unlike many however, Rafiza did go to the police
however, and her entire family now live in fear of
retaliation by the shrimp farmers.
Beore I could go to the police these people went to the
police beore me. They had iled a case against me, my
parents and another uncle o mine. They kept
pressurising my ather and brother. They told us that
you people ar e like lies and we can just blow you
people away anytime. We will kill you and cut your
body in pieces and throw your body into the river. Justdrop the case They are still threatening us.
Ecostorm
The villagers have gathered in Polder 20 to dismiss the impacts o
shrimp arming.
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25
25
Advoc o himp ming clim h h dvlopmn
o an export-orientated shrimp industry in remote rural
regions o coastal Bangladesh is a undamentally good
dciion, on h bing in mch-ndd oign vn
and will automatically help to improve local livelihoods,
liing local economies rom sel-sufciency into cash
economies, that are shared by much o the rest o the world.
T Wold Bn nd Ain Dvlopmn Bn hlpd o
kick-start export-led aquaculture in Bangladesh through
this ree-trade and export-oriented ideology; and both
USAID, and the UKs Department or International
Dvlopmn, mong oh oign dono gnci, hv
ov h l dcd conind o inv in, bidi nd
encourage the growth o the shrimp export sector in
Bangladesh with the same kind o rationale. But beyond the
stories o mangrove destruction, rape and intimidation
outlined above, it is clear that aquaculture has undamentallynomd nd dgdd h onc-il lnd in
such as Khulna rom ertile armland, capable o sustaining
commnii, ino lin, inil himp monocl.
T himp-xpo modl o podcion h boh dicl
and indirectly eroded the livelihoods and basic oundations
o survival or many communities; sometimes orcing them
o h mgin o vivl.
For Khushi Kabir, co-ordinator o Nijera Kori, the
imoni codd b h m in nd ond Pold 20,
are stories that she hears all too oen replicated in
hohold co h gion h himp clivion h
ridden roughshod over peoples arms, homes and
livelihoods. For Kabir it is an important lesson or those who
still seek to promote the development o export-led
qcl bln-olion olion o l pov
in coni li Bngldh.
Is shrimp arming development?
Dhaka, April 2011
Khushi Kabir, co-ordinator Nijera Kori
In Bangladesh everyt hing is interlinked, you live o the land, y our
school is in the village, your amily. Its an interlinked and inter-
related system , living o the land or the water i youre a
isherman. But with shrimp arming you lose all that. So ever ything
has been completely destroyed, the very system that sustains the
amily. Today they [the aected communities] are just trying to
orage or some kind o survival.
Export-led shrimp aquaculture is
anti-development. People who are
living in areas where shrimp is being
cultivated, are being completely
deprived o their livelihoods, o
their lives oten, because theres
so much violence. Its a system
that is completely non-sustainable,
and just to provide some ood or
people to be able to eat cheaply in
the northern countries. How can
that be development?
Murky waters
People who are living in areaswhere shrimp is being cultivated,are being completely deprived o theirlivelihoods, o their lives oten, becauseheres so much violence.
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26
Polder 20
26
I j min on png bo o vl om
Polder 20 on one side o the river, to the area known as
Pold 22 on h oh, b h dinc bn h o
areas are striking. Tose who promote and deend the
commercial shrimp industry oen argue that shrimp
ming povid b oc o livlihood o h locl
communities, than does agriculture or shing, but the
images rom Polder 22 tell a dierent story. In Polder 22
there are no shrimp ponds, and instead there are trees, ruits
and vegetables growing in every home. Children attend
chool nd popl cn b n lboing in h ld ll
ond, hving ood cop o nd ll.
Polder 22 is an exception in this region, because the
commnii hv ccll mngd o id hmlv
o shrimp arms. It is a battle that was hard-ought. Walking
long h iv ph in Pold 22, on p mmoil o
those who ell, including Korunamoi Sardar, murdered andmaimed by hired thugs and security orces who tried to orce
commnii o ccp himp m on hi lnd.58 T
people o polder 22 held out however, and against all the
odds, today the place is one o the only non-shrimp arming
areas in the region, provides striking evidence that there are
indeed viable alternatives to prawn arming or coastal
commnii in Bngldh.
58 Korunamoi Sardar was murdered by private security orces on November 7th 1990 while she or-med part o a peaceul protest, at the orders o a businessman Wajed Ali, who was intent on orcing
aquaculture into Polder 22. Ali died beore he could be brought to justice. Over a decade later 12
others were subsequently convicted o her murder, but still evade jail to this day. In Niluar, A.1997.
Innocent victims: The women o Bangladesh are paying a heavy price or resisting the powerul
interests in the shrimp arming industry. Samudra 17:19-21
Is there an alternative to shrimp arming?
A visit to Polder 22
Modhukhali, April 2011Noorjahan Begum, farmer
Our lie it is very hard to
survive. It is hard to athom
i you are alive or not. We live
hand to mouth, oten we go
hungry. We are living in a
very diicult situation with
our amily now. Poor people
o this area are living in
severe situation. I we do not
have these bare minimums
then how can we survive?
Parmodhukhali, April 2011
Shantilata Biswas, farmer
We ought and managed to get saline water out o this village
or two year s only, but now they have ought with us have got
saline water back in again.I we go near the ponds they be at us
up, they attack cat tle i the animals go there to drink the water.
What are they [the cattle ] going to eat? Can you see any grass
anywhere? We used to be able to grow our own vegetab les but
now we have to buy everything. Because o saline water. We
just cannot grow anything. There are days when we do not have
anything to eat. I we can buy it then we eat, i we cannot then
we starve the whole day. They are all outsider s doing it,
increasing their wealth. We are poor people, what can we do?
They are grabbing land and getting rich, we are the ones to
suer and we are suering.
Ecostorm
We used to be able to grow ourown vegetables but now we haveto buy everything. Because o salinewater. We just cannot grow anything.
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27
Polder 22
27
Sayedkhali Village, April 2011
Taiub-Ur Rahman, farmer
In my village[Polder 22] you can see agricultural lands all around you. People get to cultivate their land according to
their own wish.We have sesame, lentils; we are growing watermelon, pumpkin. Ater a ew day s we will also get bitter
gourd, okra, eggplant and other vegetables. Besides these we also get rice, we get to harvest rice twice a year. We also
cultivate ish. Beside lobster, we also raise dierent types o carp and other ishes. We did not have too many cattle,
but now almost all the houses have cows, goats. We also have poultry, goats, and lambs here. We also have ducks.
Just look around you, we have lots o ruits, mostly seasonal ruit trees, lychees, mangos, jackruit etc. We also have
coconut.
Horinkhola, April 2011
Urmila Sardar, farmer
Where there are no shrimp arms,the environment is better in every way. It is bet ter or children, better or the adults.
It is better or the trees, cattle, better or everyone. Ater our movement against the shrimp arms and we closed
down the arms, the trees that were almost dead they started to live again, we could grow vegetables and rice, we
could also get milk and odder or our cows. Our kids are going to school and we have basic things to live now. The
overall atmosphere got better. We have peace.
Ecostorm
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2828
In a urther twist to the allegations o ecological destruction
and human rights abuses gathered during the course o this
invigion, h m lo codd dibing vidnc
to suggest that some prawns rom Bangladesh pose a health
i, no j o h li in h mngov com nd h
ming commnii h impcd in hi ming,
b lo o ho ho hm.
Salim, as we shall call him, is a prawn armer who claims
o boh nd ll illgl picid in hi himp pond;
prawns which will go onto supply the shrimp processing
coi o Khln. On picid pnd b Slim go
b h bnd nm oHildan, on o dozn o commonl-
used household names to describe the powerul insecticide
ndoln. Old nd h Socholm Convnion59
and banned in over 150 countries around the worldincluding the EU, endosulans are acutely toxic reaping
59 The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants was adopted 22 May 2001; http://
chm.pops.int/deault.aspx
hvoc ih min com, o nd commnii
who are exposed to it, and potentially consumers, who may
indvnl podc conmind ih i.
T Ingovnmnl Fom on Chmicl S h
classied endosulan as an acutely toxic pesticide.60 Te
European Unions risk statements or endosulan61 state that
i i:
Hml in conc ih in
V oxic b inhlion
V oxic i llod
Hml o h nivionmn
M c long-m dv c in h qic
com
In the long term, endosulan also poses serious health risksor human beings; it is an endocrine disruptor, causing
60 GFEA-U 2007 cited in Endosulan briefng PAN
61 Ibid
Toxic substance used in shrimp production
Murky waters
HannaWolf
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breast cancer cells to grow; it intereres with male hormones,
suppresses the immune system, promotes allergic responses;
i i lo lind o nologicl c ch pilp nd
m c Pinon di. Bih dc hv lo bn
seen in laboratory studies and in human populations
xpod o ndoln.62
Given the severe impacts o endosulans on workers, the
environment and potentially consumers as well, allegations
that this substance may be in regular use are potentially very
serious or the Bangladeshi shrimp export industry and or
retailers who continue to sell Bangladeshi prawns. It is
hov impon o no h ding hi invigion,
the team interviewed only one person, who willingly showed
us a bottle o endosulan and described its common
availability and use, which o course is not necessarily a
representative. But in 2010, a UK lm crew producing a
documentary on the seaood industry63, also ound urtherevidence o alleged endosulan use, again rom an interview
with another shrimp pond armer in the region around
Khulna which supplies EU markets. At a national level,
conignmn o Bngldhi himp dind o Eop
have also been ound to contain excessive levels o potentially
harmul chemicals, including phospates and nitrouran
nibioic. 64
In a urther twist, it is also alleged that unscrupulous
d bl o dl pn dind o Eop.
In 2010 UK lviion c lmd himp d h
demonstrated the adulteration o shrimp in the Khulna
: injcing ch pn collcd om pond ih di
water to increase weight and thus prot. Te trader claimed
h 70% o ll pn pplid om h pincipl himp
ming in h Khln gion bjc o imil
ind o dlion mn b locl d. 6566
62 Ibid
63 Fish Unwrapped Dispatches Channel 4 2011
64 Swiss Federal Department o Economic Aairs DEA Federal veterinary ofce FVO Internationalaairs Stop and Test List 01/09/11 http://www.bvet.admin.ch/ein_ausuhr/01183/index.html?lang=en
&download=NHzLpZeg7t%2Clnp6I0NTU042l2Z6ln1acy4Zn4Z2qZpnO2Yuq2Z6gpJCEeoF%2CWym16
2epYbg2c_JjKbNoKSn
65 Fish Unwrapped Dispatches Channel 4, Blakeway Productions
66 http://www.panna.org/our-community/pan-international; http://www.pan-uk.org/
Khulna District . April 2011
Salim
The name o the medicine is Hildan. This does not
come rom a legal agent, it is smuggled into our
country by unscrupulous businessmen. This is very
eective and you get good result. That is why thisone rom India is in demand. You will get 100%
result by using this one. But this is very harmul. I
have used it and I know it is very harmul. We use
this mostly or shrimp arms. The use o this
pesticide is banned in our country, but they are
smuggled in regularly. I you go to the shop and ask
or it you will get it by today. You can kill everything
with this. Just look at the label here, it is clearly
written POISON. These are the medicines that are
used in all shrimp ponds .
London, UK, April 2011
Keith Tyrell, Pesticide Action Network UK65
The impact o endosulan on the marine
environment is disastrous. Its a persistent
chemical, its an incredibly toxic chemical, its
one that aects nearly every element o the
aquatic eco-system, rom snails through to ishthrough to amphibians all the way up the ood
chain it has an impact. Its been responsible or
mass ish kills through acute toxicity, but it also
impairs the ability o ish to reproduce, and its
eects can continue through generations.
My message to consumers who eat prawns rom
arms where endosulans may be in regular use
is, dont do it! Theres no reason to expose
onesel to that kind o risk.
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Dozens o prawn actories operate in the vicinity o the
cities o Khulna and Coxs Bazaar in Bangladesh. Tis
multitude o companies, oen trading numerous brands o
shrimp under one roo, derive the bulk o their income
hogh h pocing nd xpo o m-id himp
o hllh bo, il nd liml conm in
indilizd coni. Aond 55% o himp id o
xpo om Bngldh m hi o h Eopn
Union, and 35% to the USA. Te rest are largely sold to
Japan.67 According to export statistics, Belgium and the UK
are by ar the largest markets in EU or Bangladeshi shrimp.
Tis statistic is however misleading, as prawns destined or
Belgium and the UK are re-sold to other EU countries,
inclding Sdn.
Te investigators contacted buyers o shrimp rom
Bngldh ond Eop. Svl b clim h h
can trace the precise origin o the shrimp they buy. Aninvestigation carried out in late 201068 however,
demonstrated that claims o traceability or prawns
cultivated in individually-owned ponds in the region
ond Khln qnl l; ih pn chnging
hands three o our times beore nally ending up at the
actory gates. Te investigators observed that the sales
receipts exchanged between shrimp traders and actories
supplying the EU, typically conrm the quantity and quality
o shrimp that are sold, but not the arm names or even
gion om h h oigin om.
Disturbing allegations o adulteration and lack o
cbili c qion m ov Eopn impo
in Sweden who continue to source shrimp rom Bangladesh.
A p o hi invigion, h m cho o oc on
the supply chains o two prominent shrimp companies
bd in Khln. In common ih mo himp coi,
Sobi Fih Pocing Ind nd Jllbd Fozn Food,
h non Sobi nd Jllbd pcivl, oc
their shrimp through a complex network o traders at
ving lvl ond Khln. In 2010 invigo om
67 Bangladesh Export Statistics 2003-4 Export Promotion Bureau
68 Research team working or Channel 4 documentary series Dispatches, Fish Unwrapped Blakeway
Productions
h UK69 ollod pn om h locl m ond
Pold 20, nd hogh combinion o invi ih
traders, witnessing sales and observing trading receipts,
h ond h pn om Pold 20 m hi o
the gates o various processing plants on the outskirts o
Khulna, including the two companies described above. Sobi
nd Jllbd in n ppl mn d ond Eop;prawns rom these companies may or example enter the
Sdih m vi h Nhlnd.
Some shrimp export companies claim to source 100%
om hi on pond, in od o gn npnc.
Y, in od o m h coninl dmnd o Eopn
consumers during low periods o production, the
investigators discovered that companies will also revert
bc o h d dcibd bov, in od o boo hi
podcion nd m h g dmndd b impo.
Boh Sobi nd Jllbd o xmpl old o ch
that they also supply Seamark, a vast company with
headquarters in the UK, a $250 million turnover, nine
brands o shrimp and processing acilities and ponds in the
Coxs Bazaar area. Incredibly Seamark claims on its website
that it has a total traceabil ity control system70. I Seamark
do oc pn om Sobi nd Jllbd hov, h
d ho in n ppl h coi in Khln, hv
no id o h pci oigin o ch bch o pn h
they sell; in apparent contradiction to the claims o this
compn.
69 Fish Unwrapped Dispatches Channel 4, Blakeway Productions
70 Seamark Welcome Sales Presentation
How traceable is your shrimp?
Murky waters
KajsaGarpe
Shrimps o the brand Seaboy were produced in Khulna.
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Following the trail from Bangladesh to Sweden
Daglivs
Daglivs supermarket is part o the Swedish Cooperative Union, a utlility co-operat ive with 60 member organizations and 2.9
million members. Daglivs sources some its prawns rom Galana seaood company in Belgium, who in turn told the team that
they source rom Modern Seaoods in Khulna, an area that processes many prawns rom the conlict areas described above.
Galana presented the team with an ethical trading certiicate boasting that the products they sell shall not be produced in a way
where there is rueul damage to the environment and that human rights as declared by the United Nations, shall not be
violated. Another brand ound at Daglivs is Epic Select. Epic Selects shrimp are armed in Khulna and Coxs Bazaar, and
processed by Meenhar isheries via Hotlett Frozen Foods in Belgium.
Ica Group
The Ica Group is one o the Northern Europes leading retail companies , with around 2 200 o its own and retailer-owned storesin Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. And Ica also sells shrimp rom Bangladesh. Though Ica Sweden has removed
tropical shrimp rom their central stock, ollowing advice rom SSNC, tropical shrimp are regularly ound in the retailer-owned
Ica stores across the country. Among them prawns o the brands Epic Select, Seaboy and prawns rom Nordic Seaood which are
armed and processed in Khulna supplied via Nordic Seaood Denmark to Sweden. Also shrimp rom the Swedish importer
Pandalus are o Bangladeshi origin, though no inormation about the region where they are armed could be obtained.
Vi-butikerna
At the Swedish supermarket chain Vi-butikerna, the investigators ound prawns o the brand Tiger, which are armed in Coxs
Bazar, processed at plant Seamark BD in Chittagong and supplied via Seamark UK to Sweden. As outlined above, both Sobi and
Jalalbad, who have been ound to source prawns rom the disputed area o polder 20 in the past told the investigators that they
supply Seamark. Ocean King and Ocean Pride prawns were also ound on the shelves o Vi, produced in Khulna, traded by
Southern Foods Limited and Modern Seaood via Setraco in Belgium, respectively.
Murky waters
KajsaGarpe
KajsaGarpe
Shrimp rom the brand Ep ic Select were produced in Cox s Bazaar. Shrimp o the brand Ocean Pr ide were p roduced in Khulna.
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Ti po h hon h h mli-billion doll himp
industry has been built on the oundations o ecosystem
dcion nd hmn igh b. T poblm
occing p.
Te investigations ocused solely on the shrimp industries
o Bangladesh, but worldwide precious mangroves have
been cut down, land or arming has been destroyed and the
livelihoods o millions o coastal peoples have been
degraded in the process. Rarely has one industry been
responsible or so much destruction in some o the most
bio-diverse ecosystems on earth. Shrimp arming is indeed
n cologicl nd ocil di.
Far rom sight and mind, it is easy to blame corrupt
ofcil nd nocmn in ch Bngldh o
the problems described in this report. But in reality the
tropicalshrimp industry, with all its multitude o problems,
i liml divn nd lld b conm dmnd ndb h ming o n, il nd oh; hi
includes those who promote and sell certied prawns.
I consumers continue to buy tropical prawns, they put
mon ino h poc o h pn ind, hlping o
indvnl nd nd ncog ninbl pcic
that undermine ecosystems and urther erode the
livlihood o vlnbl col commnii ond h
old.
Likewise, retailers that market shrimps stimulate an
ongoing dcion.
For those who want to stop unding mangrove
dcion nd livlihood dgdion ond h old,
the answer is simple: Stop buying, stop marketing, stop
lling nd op ing opicl pn.1
Conclusion
This is our earnest request to everyone; dont eat prawns.
Only that will keep us alive. I these arms are closed down orever,then we will have peace in our lie.70
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