• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Champagne Tastes®
  • About
  • Travel
    • Food Travel
    • Outdoor Adventure
  • Recipes
    • Garden To Table
    • Seafood
    • Camping Recipes
    • Ferment
    • Backyard Foraging + Wild Game
    • Cooking Basics
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Garden To Table
  • Seafood
  • Ferment
  • Foraging + Wild Game
  • Cooking Basics
  • Camping Recipes
  • Outdoor Adventure
  • Food Travel
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Cooking Basics

    Wild Caught Shrimp vs Farmed

    Published: Jan 21, 2019 · Modified: Oct 7, 2022 · Leave a Comment

    shrimp on a fork

    Are you trying to choose the most sustainable, ethically sourced type of shrimp? Is wild caught shrimp the best option?

    A few years ago, I heard a truly disturbing episode of KCRW’s podcast “Good Food” that highlighted an Associated Press report on Slavery in the Seafood Industry.

    In particular, the report focused on farmed shrimp originating in Southeast Asia.

    I listened in rapt attention– and sadly realized that it’s entirely possible that I’d been buying shrimp that originated in these poorly managed, unethical shrimp farms for years.

    Has the problem gone away? 

    No, at least not entirely, and poorly labeled seafood can make it hard to know what you’re buying.

    Is Wild Caught Shrimp Better than Farmed Shrimp?

    Is wild shrimp a better option?  Maybe– but there are problems there too.

    Sadly, one of the main ways to catch shrimp is bottom trawling— which has an very high bycatch rate. 

    In other words, a lot of other species and plants are picked up right along with the shrimp. 

    Environmental disasters (like the BP oil spill), can also affect shrimp availability and safety.

    So, what can we do? 

    Is shrimp still a responsible choice?

    How to Buy Sustainable Wild Caught or Farmed Shrimp

    Step one is to buy a little bit less shrimp, and try to include other, more sustainable options in your diet.

    Step two– understand what you’re buying.  

    If you’re near the ocean, maybe you’ve got a fishmonger that you can talk to.  For the rest of us, we need to read labels. 

    Here’s what to look for:

    Look for RAW shrimp, Peel-on.

    Pre-cooked shrimp tend to be overcooked and rubbery. 

    You can test this yourself– raw shrimp that you cook at home will win every time.

    As for the peel– the fewer people who handle your shrimp before it arrives in the store, the better. 

    Plus, a lot of the shrimp slave-labor issues go back to shrimp-peeling factories.

    You might also see “E-Z Peel Shrimp”– these have been split and deveined. 

    My preference is to skip these, because again– the fewer people who handle your shrimp before it arrives in the store, the better.

    Look for Sustainability Certification Labels or Traceability Information. 

    Marine Stewardship Council has certifications for wild shrimp

    Best Aquaculture Practices, Aquaculture Stewardship Council, or Global Aquaculture Alliance provide certification labels for farmed shrimp.

    Buy shrimp caught in American waters or farmed in America. The USA’s shrimp is much more regulated than imported shrimp. 

    If you can’t find certification labels, stick to non-imported shrimp.

    Check for Chemical Additives

    Shrimp are sometimes treated with chemical additives that plump them up and make them larger. 

    Check the label on the shrimp packaging, and make sure it only lists shrimp.

    Want to learn more about shrimp? Read this: Shrimp Shopping Guide

    « Boudin Bakery: The San Francisco Bread Bowl
    Kale Apple Salad »

    About Sarah Trenalone

    Sarah is the primary creator at Champagne Tastes. She's a photographer, food writer and traveler, and is certified in Backcountry Kitchen and Backcountry Navigation from the Colorado Outward Bound School and Identifying Wild Plants from Backpacker.

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Comment: Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    bio

    Hi, I'm Sarah! I'm a traveler who loves to eat.   Follow along to join me on my next adventure-- in food or on the road.

    Learn More →

    Currently Trending

    • Sardine Fish Cakes in a stack with sauce on the serving tray
      A Canned Sardine Recipe: Mini Fish Cakes
    • pan-seared rockfish on a plate
      Pan-Seared Rockfish
    • pan-seared red snapper on plates
      Pan-Seared Red Snapper
    • crab butter sauce on a platter with crab legs
      Crab Butter Sauce

    Footer

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Supplemental Privacy Notice For California Residents
    • Supplemental Privacy Notice For Nevada Residents

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Recipe and Photo Reuse Terms + FAQ

    Copyright ©2015-2023 Champagne Tastes
    All Rights Reserved.