Seafood you can trust, relationships you can value
We are proud to work with Grupo Granjas Marinas (GGM), a company specialised in the farming and processing of shrimp using the most sustainable practices. GGM and Sea Farms have been working together for decades, continually evolving and improving their approach to shrimp farming and processing by taking on board the latest available knowledge.
Shrimps farmed by GGM are reared in large ponds that resemble the natural environment where they normally live in. The region where the company is located allows the farms to dedicate ample space to the shrimps that are stocked at low densities, making it an ideal environment to ensure high standards of animal welfare and environmental sustainability.
Mangrove trees naturally grow in this area and more have been planted around all ponds and canals. Trees also host large populations of insects and provide shelter to birds and reptiles. The dedication of these farmers to thrive in tune with the local ecosystem has brought an increase in mangrove coverage in and around GGM farms, which has almost doubled in the last 20 years.
The strong intensity of the sun, typical of these tropical regions, channels a great deal of energy into the water which sustains the growth of plankton and other microorganisms. The shrimp’s diet is a balanced mix of what the animals find in the ponds and high-quality pelleted feed which is formulated to ensure to lowest environmental impact. The result is thousands of hectares of land that is responsibly farmed, able to host 32% of all the aquatic bird species found in the country.
To prove GGM’s commitment to the adoption of good management practices, the company received Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification for all of its sites in 2016 and was one of the first fully integrated shrimp farming company to receive the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) in 2017.
GGM operates in rural areas where 63% of the population lives in poverty. To help improving the lives of nearby communities, the shrimp industry created in 2014 a social arm, called FUNDESUR, of which GGM is the main contributor. For each pound of exported shrimp, U.S$0.02 are paid to Fundesur and the money is then used to sponsor projects that benefit more than 30,000 people from more than 90 communities living around the Gulf of Fonseca. In 2019, the association could invest more than 3 million USD in community projects.
You can find out more about Fundesur here, or you can find it on Facebook.
“We strongly believe that sustainable socio-economic development can only be achieved if our communities have access to education and health systems, respect the environment and are capable of generating their own opportunities. Our social projects seek to achieve objectives related to improving education, health, the environment and community management.”
Joaquin Romero, Fundesur Executive Director
To further strengthen its commitment to social responsibility, in 2018 GGM participated to the development of the Fair Trade Standard for Seafood and in 2019 became certified. Every pack of Fair Trade certified GGM shrimp contributes financially to the Fair Trade Fund managed by the worker’s association of GGM. The workers have full control over this fund and can decide how to spend this money in the way that best benefits themselves or their communities.