Not all aquaculture operations are environmentally harmful. With conscientious, scientific management, excess feeding can be minimized, diseases can be controlled without harmful chemical or antibiotic releases, water use can be minimized, and polluted effluent can be treated before being discharged into the environment. Rather than abandon contaminated ponds and start over building expensive new facilities on virgin land, farmers are learning to be careful in how they manage their operations. There isn't yet a certification process, however, so consumers can't tell whether the seafood products they buy have been obtained in an ecologically sound and sustainable manner.
So, while eating shrimp is probably safe for you, it may not be good for the environment. This example is only one of many dilemmas we face with respect to food and agriculture. In this chapter we will look at global food supplies and some of the problems associated with production and distribution of food.