Like many fish and crab species shrimps grow up in the mangrove forests of the tropical coastal regions. Brackish water of the forests, a mixture of fresh and sea water, is an ideal medium for the reproduction of shrimps.
In order to produce shrimps in large amounts, the mangroves are deforested, the natural channels canalized and artificial ponds constructed.

Wild shrimp larvae for a new breeding population
 
Contrary to natural mangrove forests, the breeding ponds have no direct connection to the sea. In order to breed new shrimp generations, the larvae of wild shrimps are fished from the sea. However, also a large number of larvae of other crab species and molluscs as well as small fish are caught in the densely woven nets.
Natural fish and shrimp populations have been shrinking, endangering the livelihood of local fishermen. The fishing method of the shrimp larvae has another negative effect for the prawn population in the sea:
Because of a reduction of the genetic material, future generations are more susceptible to diseases and produce fewer eggs. By the application of these fishing methods, the farmers deprive themselves of their own economic basis.

Problems of monoculture
 
The larvae are bred in special hatcheries and later planted to the ponds. Some 300,000 shrimps mill around per one hectare in the breeding pond, which is one metre deep.
Like in the agriculture, this intensive monoculture is extremely susceptible to pests and disease carriers.
Antibiotics, pesticides, germicides and other medicine are often introduced to the breeding ponds in order to protect the populations from disease due to bacteria, fungi and viruses.
 
Shrimps react extremely subtly to a lack of oxygen. About 30 per cent of water has to be replaced every day. Chemical substances introduced to the breeding ponds and food rests are thus diffused in the surrounding of the breeding farms. The remaining mangrove areas and coastal regions are therefore heavily polluted.
On the other hand, the enormous need of fresh water to optimize the salt content in the ponds imposes a burden on ground water and results in shrinking yields of the agriculture.
 
Shrimps are carnivores. About 50 per cent of their food in industrial farming consists of fish meal. Approximately 5 kg fish is needed for the production of one kg shrimps. The increasing need of fish meal means that more and more edible fishes are used for the production of fish meal. Shrimps are reaped from the ponds every six months and the youngs and larvae are used to found new populations.

Short-time profit versus long-time environmental damage
 
A breeding farm can operate at one place 5 to 10 years at the most. Mostly, the productivity of the ponds falls after the first few harvests because of a high salinity and pollution of soil with chemicals so that the farmers open new areas.
What remains is an ecologically devastated land exposed to erosion. The relocation of production, also called "rape and run", has led - in spite of a protection agreement - to a significant decline of the mangrove forests in Ecuador in the recent years. 70 per cent of all mangrove forests has been destroyed this way.