Cell-Grown Prawns and Their Potential

How Artificial Shrimps Could Change the World

While prawns and shrimp are comparatively minuscule when placed against cattle, their damage to the environment is equally, if not more so detrimental. As their cultivation seemingly does not produce any sort of negative impact on the environment, or aggravate global warming as the methane produced from cattle, or the deforestation caused by the maintenance of their pastureland, one would readily assume that the cultivation of shrimp has no repercussions. However, the aquaculture required to cultivate these shrimp displace and destroy coastal mangrove swamps that are essential in preventing flooding and erosion. Even if people were to refer to consuming wild shrimp instead, to prevent the destruction of natural habitats, this would only further exacerbate the steadily declining wild population. With the cultivation and harvesting of shrimp not only comes environmental damage, but extremely unfair and dangerous working conditions for fishermen, who are more often than not, victims of human trafficking and child labor. According to some interviews done by the UN on Cambodian fishermen, many commented on their working conditions being akin to slavery, and "59% of them reported seeing fellow crew-members murdered by the captain". In order to combat this ongoing cycle of detriment, Shiok Meats, a Singaporean-based company is currently attempting to create their own artificial shrimp from "propagating shrimp cells in a nutrient-rich solution", much like Western countries are attempting to produce meat without the use of cows. As shrimp is simpler in terms of biologic complexity, it should be easier to produce in a laboratory setting. While the thought of cell-grown meat can be a bit disconcerting, Shiok Meats is seeking to produce shrimp that will be favorable to all palates, which will hopefully be a bit easier as "shrimp is eaten in lots of forms and textures: whole, minced, as a paste and so on". However, as with all cell-based food production, these shrimp will surely come at a steep price. Hopefully, with the advances in cell-based food production and technology, these more ethical and sustainable versions of food will become more affordable in the coming years.