Choluteca Department

Choluteca emerged from a transformation that reads like ecological engineering: coastal mangrove swamps converted into shrimp aquaculture ponds that made Honduras the second-largest farm-raised shrimp producer in the Western Hemisphere. Beginning in the 1970s, entrepreneurs recognized that the Gulf of Fonseca's brackish waters and tropical temperatures created ideal crustacean cultivation conditions.

The scale achieved is remarkable. 324 shrimp farms covering 24,500 hectares now employ 23,000 people directly and 150,000 indirectly. Every pound of exported shrimp contributes $0.02 to Fundesur community development, enabling $3 million annually in local investment. The industry ships frozen shrimp to Taiwan, Mexico, and Europe—though Honduras's 2023 diplomatic switch from Taiwan to China created market uncertainty that the sector is still navigating.

Environmental costs accompany this aquaculture success. Mangrove destruction degrades coastal water quality, reduces wild fish habitat, and increases flooding vulnerability for inland communities. The Ramsar Convention designated Gulf of Fonseca wetlands as internationally significant in 1999, creating conservation obligations that conflict with continued pond expansion. After decades of acrimony, shrimp farmers and fishing communities have moved toward negotiated coexistence rather than competition.

The dry corridor that extends through Choluteca creates agricultural challenges beyond the coastal zone, with subsistence farmers facing drought stress that intensifies with climate change. By 2026, expect continued tension between aquaculture expansion and environmental limits, with Chinese market access potentially replacing lost Taiwanese trade.