The environmental impact of shrimp aquaculture and the coastal pollution in Mexico

The moderated, but continual development of the shrimp aquaculture in Mexico, in conjunction with municipal and agriculture effluents, in the last decade has created the first symptoms of negative environmental impacts, due mainly to the discharge of nutrients and organic matter into adjacent coastal waters. Similarly, the increasing impairment of coastal water quality resulting from the discharge of domestic, agricultural and industrial wastes into coastal waters has affected the aquaculture profitability in certain areas. The cumulative impact of the main anthropogenic sources of nutrients in the Mexican coastal states was estimated in 190 088 ton N yr(-1) and 51 831 ton P yr(-1). The input from shrimp aquaculture is only 1.5% and 0.9% of the main sources of nitrogen and phosphorus. This last input, though small, is related to focal and adverse effects on coastal ecosystems. The introduction of management measures to mitigate the adverse environmental impacts of shrimp aquaculture development has now become necessary and urgent. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.