Why does this matter? Thailand is the second largest producer of shrimp globally, after China. Thailand produced 266,000 metric tons (mt) of shrimp in 2024, nearly half of which was exported. Globally, shrimp farming has an outsized footprint financially and environmentally. The world shrimp marked was valued at $45.3bn in 2023 and is expected to reach $102.6 billion by 2034 due to its growing popularity.

However, shrimp farming has a carbon footprint that can exceed pork in terms of emissions intensity – an average of 13 kg CO2e/kg. Half of these emissions are down to shrimp feed. Commonly, soy may compose 30% of their diet but intensive monoculture farming of soy is a leading cause of rainforest clearing in South America. The other half of direct shrimp farm emissions come from the energy required to mechanically aerate water.

Further environmental degradation occurs if mangrove forests – high carbon sequestration reserves – are cleared to make way for the aquaculture industry. Meanwhile, antibiotics, shrimp waste and uneaten feed contribute to water pollution that can result in algal blooms and ecosystem disturbances. Thus, the blue financing agreement for sustainable aquaculture in Thailand comes at an opportune moment.

Two companies in Ocean 14 Capital’s investment portfolio are contributing to improved aquaculture sustainability. SyAqua, based in Singapore, is revolutionising shrimp genetics and alternative feeds to preserve wild fish stocks. In China, 60% of hatcheries are SyAqua customers and the company delivers some of the most competitive industry results.

AquaExchange is a technology platform analysing data on shrimp and fish production. Understanding the data helps companies to reduce crop expenses, manage crop finance and automate the procurement and harvesting for aquaculture farmers. AquaExchnage currently automates large areas of shrimp farming operations in India, some12% of the domestic industry. Ultimately, their work improves the productivity and profitability for the aquaculture ecosystem.

Complementing these private sector efforts is a £3 million ($4 million) research initiative led by the University of the West of Scotland and partnered by the University of Strathclyde is aiming to revolutionise shrimp farming in South East Asia. The three-year project is developing low-cost, real-time monitoring tools to help small-scale farmers detect pathogens, monitor water quality and predict environmental threats using biosensors and AI-driven climate modelling.

By working closely with local farmers in Vietnam and Thailand, the team ensures the technologies are practical, affordable and gender-inclusive. The tools are designed to reduce mortality rates and boost productivity – offering a scalable blueprint for sustainable aquaculture across the region and beyond.

As global demand for shrimp continues to rise, the need for more sustainable, transparent and resilient aquaculture systems has never been greater. From major financial backing and cutting-edge genetic and digital innovations to grassroots-level research supporting smallholder farmers, a range of coordinated efforts are converging to transform shrimp farming in South East Asia.

Why does this matter? Marine environments are an integral facet of the UK economy, contributing an estimated £47 billion ($59.7 billion) and supporting over 500,000 jobs.

The Crown Estate roadmap outlines the actions required by 2030 to address challenges associated with mobilising capital into UK marine natural capital markets and how to overcome barriers to investment.

These include approving uniform methods for identifying marine and coastal conservation sites, addressing evidence gaps related to the health of ocean habitats, developing UK-wide codes and standardised approaches to improve marine capital market governance, and launching blended finance mechanisms.

Globally, the blue economy is estimated to be worth $1.5 trillion annually, with this figure expected to rise to over $3 trillion by 2030. Despite this vital economic contribution, and amidst the well-documented ecological and anthropogenic pressures fundamentally altering marine environments, the planet’s oceans face a severe investment shortfall.

For example, delivering Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Life Below Water – faces an estimated annual financing gap of $149 million. Furthermore, just 1% of global climate finance is spent on ocean initiatives.

The Crown Estate roadmap hopes that improving standards in the UK marine natural capital market “could be a key stepping stone in advancing international efforts to bridge this gap.”

In addition to funding shortfalls, marine environments are often overlooked entirely or given little coverage in international environmental treaties, including the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

This marine habitat oversight and emphasis on terrestrial environments intensifies the urgency for a robust, uniform market capable of mobilising and encouraging capital flows into ocean ecosystems.

Despite this oversight, global efforts to raise public and private marine investment and strengthen ocean financing regulation are growing.

COP28 saw several significant marine conservation and restoration financing pledges: from a private investment perspective, the Bezos Earth Fund pledged $100 million in grants to fund conservation efforts and the expansion of marine protected areas across Pacific Island States.

A philanthropic coalition also revealed a $250 million initiative known as the Ocean Resilience and Climate Alliance aimed at advancing ocean-based solutions to climate change, including expanding habitat restoration and conservation efforts.

From a public investment standpoint, 21 countries endorsed the Mangrove Breakthrough Initiative to deploy $4 billion to restore and protect 15 million hectares of mangroves by 2030.

Commitments made at global conferences such as COP have been supplemented by the work of private sector funds, including Ocean 14 Capital Fund. Ocean 14 recently closed €201 million ($217.8 million) to support the mission of funding sustainable solutions to improve ocean health. Investors include Nestlé, HQ Capital, and the Green Earth Impact Fund.