Shrimp producers in Ecuador reached an agreement with the Food Sovereignty Commission of the National Assembly to review a law that forces them to pay for the use of sea water in bio-aquatic production activities.

Under Article 103 of the Water Law, these activities refer to the breeding and farming of bio-aquatic species that are based in beach and bay zones in the areas of mangrove swamps and salt mines.

"Having a prohibition on the use of sea water would be the last straw because it is the medium where shrimp is developed. The assembly members fully accepted that this article must change," said Segundo Calderon, the president of the Chamber of Shrimp Producers of the province of El Oro.

The representatives of shrimp farmers of the provinces of Guayas, Manabi, El Oro, Esmeraldas and Pedernales also lobbied for the tax, tribute or rate on sea water to be deemed null and void.

The shrimp producers, represented by Cesar Monge, president of the National Aquaculture Chamber (CNA), argued that sea water is a renewable and abundant resource, which is why they contend the tariff is illogical.

Jorge Jurado of the National Secretary of Water insists that shrimp farmers should pay a tariff for the use of sea water, as other sectors of the country including trout and tilapia breeding, are paying for the water consumption.

Shrimp farming is a large sector that takes water from a fragile area of the coastal marine strip and by doing this, threatens the surrounding marine life, said Jurado, citing the tariff as reasonable.

He also emphasised that the old concessions that are situated in the beach and bay zones should not be reviewed, since the article applies only to new applications.

Meanwhile, illegal shrimp farming is found in 234 estates in the country, covering a total area of 3,047 hectares, according to the National Directorate of Aquatic Spaces (DIRNEA).