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Do you care about the environmental, social, and health impacts of our food system? Then consider volunteering or interning for a new consumer awareness campaign about the impacts of industrial shrimp farming!

The Mangrove Action Program (MAP) is headquartered in Port Angeles, Wash. and has offices based in Indonesia, Thailand, and Brazil. Its mission is to partner with mangrove forest communities, grassroots NGOs, researchers, and local governments to conserve and restore mangrove forests and related coastal ecosystems, while promoting community-based sustainable management of coastal resources.

Mangroves, "the rainforests by the sea," are coastal wetlands which provide habitat for tropical and subtropical commercial fisheries and numerous aquatic species; protect coastlines from wind and waves, thereby minimizing damage from storms, hurricanes, and tsunamis; trap sediments and prevent erosion; sequester CO2, lessening the effects of global warming; and provide natural resources to coastal traditional and indigenous populations, including firewood, medicines, fiber, food, charcoal, and construction supplies.  
Shrimp farming is the #1 threat to mangroves, causing environmental, social, and economic destruction.  Most farm-raised shrimp comes from Asian countries such as India, Thailand, and China. Latin American countries also supply the U.S., including Ecuador and Honduras. Water polluted with sewage, industrial pollutants, and agricultural runoff and high shrimp stocking densities have forced shrimp farmers to use illegal veterinary drugs and fungicides that help keep their stocks alive, but that leave toxic and carcinogenic residues on the seafood. These aquaculture farms, in turn, discharge wastewater that contains shrimp feces, rotting feed, antibiotics, and other pollutants, leading to contaminated rivers, streams, and coastal areas and compromising food security. (Contaminated seafood could cause higher rates of cancer, liver disease, and other long-term illnesses.) Furthermore, coastal communities that depend on mangroves for food and resources have been displaced and impoverished.
 
MAP is launching a Seattle-based campaign, All You Can Eat, How Much Can You Stomach? to educate consumers about the destruction caused by industrial shrimp farming and the role that consumer demand plays in the industry’s expansion. We are recruiting interns and volunteers to help make the campaign a success.

MAP seeks interns and volunteers with excellent writing and verbal skills, the ability to multi-task, and an interest in food issues and sustainability. College credit may be available for students.

Projects may include:

-developing outreach and education materials;
-planning and implementing events;
-translating from Spanish and Portuguese;
-creating and maintaining web-based content, including for MAP’s website, blog, newsletter, etc; knowledge of Plone CMS
-researching and writing about local and international issues related to seafood consumption and mangrove ecosystems; and
- other options available depending on skills and mutual interests.

To apply for an internship or to inquire about volunteer opportunities, please write to shrimp.campaign@mangroveactionproject.org