Shrimp is now the most valuable of internationally traded fishery commodities. In the light of its economic importance, FAO commissioned this global study to focus on social, economic and environmental impacts. The report, reviewed by world specialists, summarises the results and also contains studies representative of various geographic regions and of a variety of important shrimp fishery conditions: Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kuwait, Madagascar, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States of America. This study is of interest to government departments, agencies, trade and industry, and all those directly involved in shrimp fisheries.