Environmental life cycle assessment and potential improvement measures in the shrimp and prawn aquaculture sector: A literature review

Abstract

The shrimp and prawn aquaculture sector is a growing component of the global food supply. However, this ongoing growth can lead to environmental implications. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) enables the assessment of these consequences by providing environmental information about the entire value chain. Furthermore, LCA highlights the improvements in environmental performance. This study aims to analyze the literature on LCA of shrimp production at different locations to assess methodological approaches such as functional unit and system boundaries, inventory data collection, impact categories evaluated, and main findings. A literature review in Scopus databases is performed to achieve this aim. Among the reviewed studies, it is observed that the scope of most of them encompasses everything from hatchery to farm gate. Some cases include packaging and transport to the point of destination. The consumption and waste treatment stages have been included in only two cases. The most analyzed impact categories are climate change, eutrophication, and acidification. The critical spots identified are feed formulation and farm energy use. The shrimp aquaculture sector could enhance its environmental performance by incorporating raw materials that replace the consumption of fishmeal and soybean meal in feeds with more sustainable alternatives. The adequate adjustment of the feed conversion ratio could support mitigating the amount of sediment and unconsumed feed, thereby reducing nutrient concentration in discharges. Renewable energy sources could be employed to cover the on-farm demands.