Pforzheimer Honors College Newsletter
University Documentary Short:
Linda Thornton: Seeking Sustainability One Shrimp at a Time
By: Julia Yeung
Last year, students in Dr. Maria Luskay’s “Producing the Documentary,” course created Linda Thornton:
Seeking Sustainability One Shrimp at a Time. The documentary explores the work and life of Linda
Thornton, an aquaculture entrepreneur who shaped the standards of sustainable shrimp farming in
Belize, and her transition from being an entrepreneur to an environmental advocate. The work received
the award for Best Short Documentary in the Best Shorts Film Festival.
“The film that we produced on a pioneering effort to advance sustainable shrimp farming provided a
rare opportunity for the public to learn of an environmental success story. The documentary chronicled
in detail the steps taken by an environmental innovator, Linda Thornton, to breed and raise shrimp -- a
staple of middle-class diets from Shanghai to Chicago -- without antibiotics and the flows of pollution
that have given shrimp farming a bad name in much of the world. It was produced at a time when the
aquaculture industry is considering making such practices the new norm,” said Professor Luskay.
Shrimp farming is an aquaculture business meant for the cultivation of marine shrimp for human
consumption, and it has raised concerns on its effect on the environment. In 1996, Thornton began
working at and managing Aqua Marin, the largest shrimp farm in Belize. It is a huge establishment with
over 1,000 acres and 90 ponds, raising shrimps from the time they are eggs to full-grown crustaceans.
Thornton has worked with environmentalist Tim Smith and with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to figure
out ways to create a more environmentally-sustainable production in shrimp farming. It was found that
the same practices that limit disease could also limit pollution. By developing the bacteria system in the
ponds used to breed shrimp, the “good” bacteria could break down all of the waste created by feed and
can also act as a feed for the shrimp as well, and allows the water in the ponds to be reused many times.
There are no antibiotics or chemicals in Belize’s shrimp, and by managing them properly, the shrimp
farms would not be susceptible to disease. Thornton hopes that all agricultural systems would be able to
have this method in the future.
Created 9 years ago, “Producing the Documentary” is offered to Pace University’s undergraduate and
graduate students with the goal of producing a short film each spring. They usually spend January and
February reporting and planning the shoot that would consume most of their spring break in March.
Then, they would edit and produce the final product. In the past, Professor Luskay had taken students to
various locations, such as Nassau, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Tuscany to produce films.
“Students in the course gained knowledge of the shrimp farming industry as well as the understanding
of how a documentary begins with an idea that is conceived from nothing, and developed into a visual
story. They also learned the process, both positive and negative, and found out experientially how a
film is produced on-location,” said Professor Luskay.
The Best Shorts Award recognizes the work of short filmmakers worldwide by giving talented directors,
producers, videographers, actors, and actresses the exposure they need; promoting the award winners
in press releases, media outlets, blog entries. Submissions for this category range from short television,
television pilots, commercials, music videos, mobile advertising, podcasts, webcasts, and webinars: They
are limited to 57 minutes or less in order to be categorized as “short.”
Thornton has turned Aqua Mar into one of the most environmentally-sustainable shrimp farms in Belize.
She continues to be one of the best promoters for sustainable aquaculture in Central America.
To See the Documentary, Go To:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5haEZ2OFbrY&feature=youtu.be
To See the Students’ Blog During the Course, Go To:
http://sustainableshrimp.blogspot.com/