The
U.S. Marine Shrimp Farming Program
(USMSFP), funded by contracts to The
Oceanic Institute (OI) and Gulf
Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL),
was formed in 1984 to undertake research,
development and transfer to the industry
of technologies, products and services
required for domestic shrimp farmers
to become competitive in world markets.
From the very beginning, it has been
clear that to be internationally
competitive, U.S. producers must
rely on advanced technologies, systems
and products to offset other cost
advantages enjoyed by foreign producers.
Foreign producers' production methods
enjoy lower costs for land and labor
and, most certainly, lower costs
for environmental protection. Such
production methods, however, are
proving to be environmentally and
economically unsustainable. Massive
disease problems are directly associated
with deteriorating water quality
and poor quality shrimp broodstock
and seed.
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Beginning in 1988, the USMSFP
through its Consortium of institutions,
elected to pattern its efforts after those
used in successful U.S. agricultural industries,
especially poultry, swine, salmon and rice.
In doing so, the Consortium stated its
position
that culture practices employed
in most countries would not be environmentally
or socially acceptable in the United States
and that shrimp farming development in
the
U.S. must be based upon advanced technologies
and environmentally sound production systems.
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