Let Them Eat Shrimp

 

The title aside, “Let Them Eat Shrimp” by Kennedy Warne is about mangrove ecosystems and the threats facing them. While not an exhaustive natural history of the mangrove trees, and saying very little about the shrimp themselves, this is an important, big picture of the role mangroves play in protecting our world. I was reminded, though not thematically, of “The Underground Girls of Kabul” for the excellent journalism investigating and reporting this subject. The author, traveling, is part of the story but only as one human element – the book is not about him. Nor is this the typical depressing read on the subject of environmentalism (or human rights). This is a report of how we benefit with mangroves in mutuality, not just the consequences of their destruction but some of the solutions for improving their outlook.

One of the first stops is in Bangladesh, the long-protected Sundarbans, with a natural abundance including home to tigers and their prey. However, shrimp fry are caught there in fine-meshed mosquito nets that leave 99% of the bycatch to waste, to stock the abutting shrimp ponds. This poses an economic problem as well – there are practically no alternatives for the people who live there. In Brazil, shrimp farms’ salinity ruins the people’s drinking water and farmlands, but as elsewhere, are not the only threat – eucalyptus tree farming was already there. The introduced business of shrimp farming contrasts with artisanal fisheries, including collection of mud crabs, or, in Ecuador, gathering of cockles. These are areas of economic poverty and environmental racism. Guards from the shrimp farms even shoot at anyone that gets near the facilities – even though they're not stealing, just trying to earn a living as they had before. Fast profits from this industry, as with golf courses and other man-made structures, do more long-term damage than good; the mangrove forests were already central to the homes and livelihoods of the people who live with them. Shrimp seem like an obvious excess to cut out, which is why I guess the book is titled as it is.

The second half or so is less about shrimp farming and more about the need for mangrove conservation in general. The author went to Bimini in the Bahamas, where Martin Luther King Jr. went to write speeches, including his last, and Ernest Hemingway went to fish and shoot to kill sharks (he misunderstood them). A shark research and conservation center has been set up there; like other species, they use the mangroves as nurseries. Warne also goes to Belize to see the various components of a dwarf mangrove ecosystem, including many unique invertebrates that play their own functions. The dwarf trees have evolved to function at that size, and though they are efficient at taking up nutrients, the trends of excess are toppling these botanical treasures. With the same biocomplexity specialist, he goes to Panama, returning there at the end. Charcoal from mangrove poles is a big use, but in a place where garbage is choking up the waters, they are at least striving for a sustainable harvest of this fuel source. He turns to Malaysia to cover carbon sequestration and the undervalued role of mangroves; to Florida, where restoration is underway; and Eritrea, which is proving to be a success story of working against poverty.

Meeting with world experts, both scientists and community members, we get a clear sense of the importance of mangroves (which the author thinks of as an “underdog”) in the health of the globe itself. In terms of restoration, which is more than simple reforestation, abandoned shrimp ponds are good candidate sites (and also account for so much of the loss). Propagules, the seeds or seedlings of these trees, are mentioned, but a little hard to picture; having color photos included is a bonus, but as stated above, this isn’t in-depth natural history of any one organism. Providing area in hectares as well as acres helps to get an idea of these sites whichever way works best for you.

I did not know much about mangroves, but have a much greater appreciation for them now. They are also essential coastal protection and buffer zones, and provide so many benefits to so many: directly for people living by them, more subtly for the rest of the world. This book was published in 2011, so I wonder how things compare five years later, especially with regards to climate agreements. My review may be overdue, but this book is just as relevant now, and one of the best I have read in this category. Read, learn more about mangroves, do what you can to save and restore them.

Note: I received this book courtesy of Island Press in exchange for an honest review.

“Ya secaron el manglar, ya entubaron la laguna.”

-Malpaís, “Coplas del Cusuco”

La Canción de Adán (2009)