The downside of your shrimp cocktail may be very destructive to other marine organisms as this photo from the catch of a vessel shows that is working in Mauritania. The photo is from early 2009 and shows baby fish and lots of other species of marine life which are not the target of the fishery and have gone overboard as useless, once the high value shrimps have been sorted out and put to one side. So, in order to get a few shrimp, the operators reduce the future harvest of finfish. By ploughing the bottom and also 'digging' up all kinds of other organisms and structures, which supported a healthy and once very productive marine ecosystem, over time, they are changing it in profound ways. What the exact effects are in Mauritania is only very partially researched, but the broad trend is already here to see in a downward trend and ever more violations of the protected zone of the Banc d'Arguin, the major reproductive centre for the entire coast and also the wintering place for millions of birds.
Catch of a shrimp trawler in Mauritania early 2009 - there is as much baby fish and other marine life as there are shrimps
How long is this destructive way of production going to be tolerated?