Free-lance writer Alfredo Quarto was not excited to be writing about shrimp farms on his first trip to Thailand in 1992.  Unfamiliar with the issue, the peace activist didn’t expect it to capture his passion. However, he would soon discover the dark reality behind the tasty seafood, knowledge that would change his life forever.

“I remember riding on the train heading south, and I kept reading stories about people being displaced, being murdered.” Quarto visited village after village along the coast of Thailand, all of which were devastated by the shrimp farms. The mangrove forests, which the residents depended on for survival, had been illegally demolished to make way for vast ponds of chemicals and shrimp.

Quarto vividly recalls a conversation with a young fisherman from a small village where two protesters had been murdered. Sitting with his son, the fisherman told Quarto about how he had to keep taking his boat farther offshore in hopes of finding food, as a result of the mangrove destruction. Those who protested were killed by the mafia. Villagers did not allow Quarto to take their picture, for fear of this mafia.

Alfredo Quarto left the Thai village with a new mission. He began building a network of activists and fisherfolk in Thailand, a chain that now stretches around the world. So began the Mangrove Action Project.

Now Quarto and the staff of Mangrove Action Project work with fishing communities in South Asia, the Pacific, Africa, and Latin America, helping them develop new ways to fish, raise crabs and muscles, and restore the mangrove forests. Local people are in charge of the projects, so the communities become stronger from within. Quarto also helps communities around the world share ideas and techniques with each other. But it’s not an easy fight. Although not lacking in energy, Mangrove Action Project has only 5 full-time employees, some part time staff, and dedicated volunteers with offices in 4 different countries. Quarto hopes to build a larger team, so they can continue to do the vital work needed to support communities that have been devastated by the #1 seafood in the United States.

Want to find out more? Visit Mangrove Action Project’s website.