WHAT IF SHRIMP WASTE COULD FEED, PROTECT, AND CLEAN THE POND?
In shrimp farming, molted shells are usually treated as waste, removed, discarded, and forgotten.
But what if they still hold value?
At VietShrimp 2026, VNF introduced a pilot that starts from a simple question:
Can shrimp shells be collected, stabilized, and transformed into functional inputs for the pond system?The model was presented by Nguyễn Thị Giang Anh (VNF), sharing insights from early field trials.
Instead of pushing circularity to the processing stage, this approach works at farm level: The challenge is not just technical. It is about changing farmer practices. Once removed from ponds, shrimp shells are often discarded on land, creating unmanaged waste and environmental impacts.
• On site collection from smallholder ponds
• Upcycling through bioconversion at VNF processing facilities
• Application of resulting bio products back into the farming system
Why this matters:• Shrimp shells contain chitin, minerals, and residual nutrients
• When unmanaged, they increase organic waste load
• When processed, they can be converted into useful bio products
Early trials indicate that shrimp shells can be upcycled into bio based products for nutrition, disease control, and water quality management in shrimp farming systems.
This work is being developed in collaboration with GIZ, combining technical insight with field level testing.
Recently featured in Aquafeed Editors’ Picks as a working model under real farm conditions.What matters here is not only the material, but how and where the intervention happens:
Circularity does not start in factories. It can start in the pond.The open question:
How far can we push circular aquaculture without adding complexity for farmers?We are continuing to test and refine this model, and welcome perspectives from farmers, researchers, and partners working on sustainable aquaculture.
