The Shrimp Industry in Hawaii

Many people do not realize that Hawaii is the world's largest producer of farmed shrimp. In 2014, shrimp was Hawaii's largest export (and not pineapples as commonly assumed). Much of this shrimp goes to Asia, where some end up in factories where low-wage laborers peel and process the shrimp. This has led to some debate regarding the fate of laborers (some of whom were enslaved) to process seafood that is eventually exported back to the United States. This is a good topic to discuss when covering international trade, production, and labor markets.

Hawaii Is the World's Shrimp-Breeding Capital

Hawaii Business (September 2014)

Hawaii Ranks Biggest Exporter of Shrimp

KITV.com (December 15, 2015)

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This is a great example, and very current, especially with all the recent news about slave labor in the seafood industry in Southeast Asia.

Again, I really appreciate these examples from an Island economy, since I use many similar ones in my class from Puerto Rico. 

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