SSNC Murky Waters -Srhimp Farming Bangladesh

8/2/2019 SSNC Murky Waters -Srhimp Farming Bangladesh

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Report

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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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44

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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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

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Mangrove ecosystems are among the most productive ecosystems on the planet.

Mangrove ecosystems are highly productive and diverse.


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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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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

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Chokoria

Sunderbans beore

and ater the shrimp

arming expansion.

Mangrove areas are

showed in green.25


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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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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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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

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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

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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2323

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.


25/32

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.


27/32

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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2929

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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3030

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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3131

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.


32/32

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

SSNC Murky Waters -Srhimp Farming Bangladesh

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