Impact of Shrimp Farming on Mangrove Forest and Other Coastal Wetlands: The Case of Mexico - Aquaculture and the Environment: A Shared Destiny - page 18

Fig. 1. Shrimp farming indicators: A) World shrimp production (1984-2009). B) Main
producing countries (2005-2009). C) Mexican shrimp farming production (1984-2009). D)
Extent and annual yield in Mexico (2000-2008).
The objective of the present study was analyze the land use changes caused by shrimp
farming in the coastal landscape of Mexico, one of the main producers worldwide, using
remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) tools within a landscape
change framework to contribute to a better understanding of the impacts of shrimp farming
on coastal wetlands. The results were then compared with others obtained at different
latitudes to gain a more precise knowledge of the responsibility of shrimp farming on
mangrove deforestation and other environmental impacts.
1.1 Shrimp farming in Mexico
Shrimp farming has its origin in the late nineteenth century, but it was not until the 1960s
and early 1970s that it became a commercial activity (Kungvankij et al., 1986). Mexico
followed a similar trend, starting shrimp production in the early 1970s with the operation of
an experimental farm to the northwest. However, legal issues related to land tenure
complicated this development, particularly for private investments, until the middle 1980s,
when laws changed, allowing the expansion of commercial farms, mainly in the same
region.
Thereafter, like the rest of the world, shrimp farming in Mexico displayed rapid evolution,
growing from 35 t of shrimp production in 1985 to 125,778 t in 2009 (Fig. 1). Profits also
increased, from $ 175,000 to 405 million dollars, respectively. The net income by farms in
northwest Mexico (semi-intensive systems) has been estimated between US$1.2 and US$2.9