Representatives of the SFP and ASC at a shrimp farm in India. They include the SFP's Paul Bulcock, second from left, and ASC chief executive Chris Ninnes, fourth from left.

'Roadmap' charts a more sustainable course for shrimp farmers

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A roadmap for “landscape-level” improvements in India’s shrimp farming sector and other aquaculture sectors globally has been launched by certification body the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and US-based non-profit the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP).

The roadmap, presented in an easy-to-read interactive document, includes practical, step-by-step guidance for developing and implementing landscape-level aquaculture improvement projects (AIPs).

It is the result of a Walmart Foundation-funded SFP project that focused on the Indian shrimp sector in the state of Andhra Pradesh. India, and particularly Andhra Pradesh, produces nearly 1 million tonnes of shrimp annually, primarily through smallholder farms under two hectares (4.9 acres).

Shrimp sector employs 4 million in the state

According to an article in The New Indian Express in April, shrimp farming in Andhra Pradesh employs 4 million people and contributes 10% to the state's GDP.

But making a living has been difficult recently. Shrimp reach harvest weight in just three months, and the newspaper said farmers in the state's Godavari districts had declared an aqua holiday for July, August, and September, citing unsustainable losses due to the tariffs and high input costs. 

But another farmer explained that long-term land leases, often paid five to 10 years in advance, along with investments in feed, seed, and infrastructure, made a holiday financially unviable. “We’d rather reduce the extent of cultivation than stop entirely,” he told the paper.

SFP worked with ASC on the project, which combined an examination of landscape and jurisdictional initiatives with firsthand field learning from the shrimp industry to untangle the challenges to delivering incentives and driving environmental improvements at scale.

1 million acres

Andhra Pradesh’s target of increasing its aquaculture area from 400,000 to 1 million acres by 2030 will bring rapid growth but also increased pressure on ecosystems and local communities. The roadmap offers insights into how landscape-level approaches can address these challenges.

According to the ASC and SFP, existing methods of certification or sustainability recognition often fail to account for the fragmented nature of small-scale production systems, particularly in regions where producers lack clear land ownership, access to financing, and strong regulatory oversight.

The landscape approach provides an alternative, emphasising collaboration among diverse stakeholders - farmers, government bodies, NGOs, and the private sector - to raise the environmental and social baseline across shared geographic areas. The strategy does not replace certifications or independent projects but builds on them, creating a collective, adaptive, and inclusive model to drive measurable change.

Shrimp farming in India. The country exports around 1 million tonnes a year, much of it produced in the south east coastal state of Andhra Pradesh.

A key focus of the work in SFP’s project in Andhra Pradesh was collaboration with and support for local institutions and organisations. “Everything we do in-country should be done by local institutions, and there is tremendous local capacity in Andhra Pradesh,” said SFP chief executive Jim Cannon.

A.B.Ch.Mohan, managing partner for Indian company Seafood Solutions, which provides a range of services for shrimp farmers including advice for certification applications, said: “Our collaboration with the ASC and SFP team was a great experience, allowing us to build on our strengths and focus on the importance of effective stakeholder engagement and data synthesis for identifying actionable opportunities in shrimp aquaculture.”

He added that engaging with Indian environmental NGO the Dashkin Foundation allowed Seafood Solutions to better understand the perspectives of NGOs focused on social issues. 

“We are eager to see this work put to use and hope it will lead to targeted recommendations and the piloting of sustainable solutions in collaboration with industry partners.”

Holistic improvements

SFP aquaculture information manager Paul Bulcock said: “In Andhra Pradesh, it was inspiring to see a coalition of local social, environmental, and aquaculture experts come together to lay the groundwork for holistic improvements to the farmed shrimp sector.

“I hope the insights they shared and the foundation they’ve built will be carried forward. Beyond that, I encourage other organisations to apply the Roadmap in different regions and commodities to identify what improvements are needed, where they’re needed, and who can drive them forward.”

aquaculture stewardship council andhra pradesh sustainable fisheries partnership shrimp farming news india landscape-level improvements