Final (incomplete)

• What river is the documentary "Dirty Waters Dangerous Fish" based on?

  The Mekong river
• How much industrial waste is dumped into the Mekong river every year?

  220,000 tonnes
• How much fish is processed per day in factories off the Mekong river?

  100 tonnes
• How much seafood was exported from Vietnam in 2009?

  $ 4.5 billion worth
• Types of wastes making it into the Mekong river:

  • Sewage from homes
  • Trash
  • Dirt from clothes, dishes, and people
  • Spilled fuel
  • Lumber byproduct
• Where are the intake ponds for the fish farms near the Mekong river?

  Next to makeshift toilets and commercial water ways
• Which countries are Vietnamese catfish exported to?

  The USA, European union, and Japan
• How much of the incoming catfish from Vietnam was inspected by the US food and drug administration?

  Less than 2%
• Dangerous substances the fish from the Mekong river contain:

  • Carcinogens
  • Veterinary drugs
  • Salmonella
• How many countries is Pangasius traded to?

  Over 100
• In which countries is Pangasius among the top 5 consumed fish?

  The USA & European union
• Who is making claims that Pangasius is poisonous?

  The European fishing industry & US catfish farm industry
• What were the most surprising results of the study of the risk of Pangasius?

  None of the suggested toxicological risks were supported with actual data on chemical analysis or intake levels
• How much Pangasius could a 70kg adult eat per day?

  3.5 kg - 167 kg
• How much toxic compounds can be found in the vast majority of imported Panga?

  None
• Mass mediated: a group of non experts giving voice to the definition and interpretation of a topic with little engagement with or reference to the scientific process.
• Necessary steps for the future:

  • Building an understanding of how society responds to mass mediated claims
  • Increase the understanding of risk assessment in the environment and food industry
  • Make scientific interpretations of risk public
  • Educate society about the difference between hazard and risk
• What country is the documentary "The devastating truth behind shrimp farming" filmed in?

  Bangladesh
• Who filmed the documentary "The devastating truth behind shrimp farming"?

  The Swedish society for nature conservation
• Which groups in Bangladesh are coming into conflict?

  Impoverished people vs. the shrimp industry
• Apart from the communities, what other threats do shrimp farms pose?

  Pollution of waters of mangrove forests
• Shrimp farms get juveniles from local rivers. A consequence of this is that for every shrimp caught, 50 other juveniles die and many other juvenile species are accidentally caught and killed.
• What happens to embankments near shrimp farms?

  Shrimp farmers build drainage systems through them, eliminating their ability to protect communities during extreme weather and causing them to erode quicker
• What type of chemical is being put into shrimp farms and what effect does it have?

  Insecticides. They kill all organisms as far as the water travels.
• What else do farmers do with shrimp that consumers should be worried about?

  Inject dirty water into them to add weight and increase profit
• How many landless and marginalized people have been affected by shrimp farms?

  200,000
• What happens to those that oppose shrimp farms?

  Intimidation, violence, torture, and false charges from local courts
• What happened to the woman called Rafisa when she spoke out?

  She was shut down as the farmers protected their employees and she did not have enough money to take them to court
• How long have shrimp farm human rights and environmental impacts been going on?

  20 years
• What do the communities surrounding shrimp farms want to tell us?

  Stop eating shrimp from Bangladesh as they're being produced at the cost of the destruction of local ecosystems and the people that live there
• Reasons for farming seaweeds:

  • Rapid growth
  • Hardy
  • Tolerant of varying water conditions
  • Benefit from anthropogenic nutrient input
  • Low cost
  • Ease of culture
  • Deemed superfoods
  • Have many uses
• Uses for seaweeds:

  • Feed (for aquaculture species)
  • Human consumption
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Biofuel
  • IMTA
  • Fertilizers
• IMTA stands for "Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture".
• Although quite a high production level, it is a low value harvest although its value has increased since there is more culture for pharmaceutical purposes.
• Brown seaweeds include kelps.
• Brown seaweeds are a major cultured group accounting for over 50% of production up until the last 5 years or so.
• A lot of brown seaweed is farmed for human consumption.
• Red seaweed production is quickly passing levels of brown seaweed production.
• Red seaweed is often cultured in the mid and far east due to a lack of species of kelps.
• Red species is more often used for hydrocolloids (thickening agents).