Tiny Shrimp Leave Giant Carbon Footprint: Scientist

To better help the public understand the environmental impact of eating shrimp, the carbon footprint of shrimp was calculated. According to biologist J. Boone Kauffman, 3.5 ounces of shrimp has a carbon footprint of 436 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2).

According to these estimates, 3.5 ounces of shrimp produces 436 pounds of CO2. One pound of frozen shrimp produces one ton of CO2. Shrimp production has such a deleterious effect on the environment because of how it it produced. 50-60% of shrimp farms are in tidal zones in Asian countries, where mangrove fields were cut down to make way for shrimp farms. The farms produce just 2.2 pounds of shrimp for each 5 miles of mangrove field. This results in a carbon footprint 10-fold higher than an equivalent amount of beef being produced on land that was cleared rain forest.

In addition to the article linked to below, another article addressing the issue is available here.