The lowdown on world shrimp culture - I

Abstract

Based on FAO time series data, in 1984 there were only 33 countries reporting farmed shrimp production. This increased to 51 in 1989 and rose to 60 in 1996. The world total shrimps and prawns production reached 1.114 million mt in 1998. This level represents more than a five-fold increase over the 1985 production of 213 640 mt. The outbreak of disease in shrimp farms has been a serious problem; the example of the white spot virus (WSSV) is given. The situation in two major shrimp producing countries, Thailand and Ecuador, is illustrated.