> today on "earth focus" the dark side of shrimp d smartphone industries. reports fm ththailand, bangladesh, and indonesia under covers the brutal exploitation of people and the environment for prorofit. they are fishing illegally on thailand's coast. crossed over 50 species of fish come including giant starfish, seahorses, a and juvenile e sea snakes.

most of the catch is not good for consumption. it would be used to feed farm animals. it is sold to supermarkets in restaurants around the world. link tv and a college is visited thailand to investigate links -- link tv and others visiteded thailand to investigate links. industrial agriculture promote to stop as a sustainable solution for the problems of fishing. many of the so-called fish are pulled from the ocean around southeast asia with devastating effects.

these small and young edible fish are left to rot in the halls of vessels for days on weeks on end before being handled. fleets o of trucks and sport tos of rottiting fish on each vessel on the processing plants where they are ground down and wasash and cookeded into powdered fish far for fooood -- fisish flowewr od. alongside e the species on fishg vessels, the searches documented pockets of juvenile shaha species,aiting too be sold. these tropical fish are used as protein for the booming sugar industry, the largest exporter in the world. at what cost to the ocean?

>> [speaking forereig language] >> laced with increasasing quantitities of edible fish, lol fishing communities are losing out. >> [speaking foreign language]

>> they say the by catch is accidental. >> [speaking foreign language] >> is not just the net and fishing techniques that are controversial however. working undercovever, ontold us many who u unload at the p plane often under licensing agreements.

>> she claims her company is a prominent company in thailand, which produces mucuch of the fee that is eveventually fit to consumers in north america and europe. we also uncovered evidence to suggest that if wrigley operates legally in foreign waters. our research found that these modern-day pirates used to fishing technology in the waters all across asia. they're searching for more valuable fish species.

>> [speaking foreign language]

>> the industrial strength culture in thailand -- it is driving illegal this trafficking and across southeast to ththe global shrimp industry continues to rebrand itself as sustainable, but this film raises important questions about the poor agriculture a and the y ingredients used to grow them. there is the precious marine biology diversity.

also in restaurantsts and sold stores, t tropical prawns aree popular choioices of food across the western world today. the region i is a country's leading prproducer of ron to export overseas. it is at the center of the struggle. thousands of f impoverished pepe were fighting to conserve their natural resources and livelihood against the might of the ron industry. > [speaking foreiggn languag] >> a farmer byby profession.

they are flolooded with saltwatr in via aggressive shrimp farmers. there once for talk cropland now lies under a prawn pond. she is not alone. >> [speaking foreign language] >> it is not just the community that is threatened, however. the rivers in this region flow into the vast mangrove forest.

while providing a resource to local communities. 50 juvenile fish on average will die. >> [speaking foreign language] >> indictments are used inin ths regionon of b bangladesh to prot fafarmlands s in commumunities m storms that regularly hit this coastline.

shrimp farmers in banangladesh could build traded systemsms through the embankmentnt. thee consequenceces of this has proven to be catastrophic during times of extreme weather. a cyclone e struck seveveral yes ago.o. >> [speaking foreign language]

>> during thee coursrse of the investigation, our team uncovered disturbing evidence and is just the legal chemicals are being regularly and routinely used in shrimp farms destined for european markets. >> [speaking foreign languagage]

>> the household name is referring to is -- a cell phone inin bangladesh and over 80 othr coununtries around the world. >> a broad s spec drum. it has b been aroround for year. it is a very o o chemical. itit is aimemed at killing insns and preventnting them from becoming pests. it is disastrous. it is an incredibly toxic chememical. it is one that afaffects nearly every element of the eco-s-systm frfrom snails threw two fish or amphibians all the way up the fofood chain. there's a huge number of cocountries around the world. it is banned for regions best fofor reasons.

my message to c consumers who et prawns, don't do it. >> it is not just a unregulated use of illegal chemicals that consumers should be wororried about. the british film crew uncovered evevidence of routitine adultltn of shrimpp destined d for faculs -- f factoriries. in this fooootage, they demonstrated h how shrimp from this r region are sececretly injected witith dirty water t td weight before they are sold on to the factory. some ngos have often clalaimed e shrimp industry in bangladesh is necessary to development. they arere affected by commercil shrimp agriculturere.

>> people who arare living i in areas the shrimp is being cultivated are being comompletey devovoid of their l livelihoodsf theirr lives.. it is s system that is not sustainnable. and as to provide the eight cheaplyy in the cocountry, how cocould that be dedeveloped? >> our invevestigation found thr often met with intimidation, violence, and false charges. they f favor the shrimp f farme. >> [speaking foreign lananguage]

shsh me the nearest starbrbks -- >> it is commonplace. they're one of the few who are prepared to speak out against a shrimp farm employee who raped her in 2008. >> [speaking foreign language] >> our research into bangladesh

shows that their shrimp indususy has s forged a crucial path of ongogoing ecologigical destructn and human rights abuses for the last two decades. they are subjecting thousands of people to extreme poverty while also potentially undermining the health of consumers. it doesn't have to be like this. one of the few areas that has managed to successfully get the rate of shrimpmp farms and the difference is strikiking. >> [speakingng foreign language]

>> the message from the community's effect did b by shrp farming is clear.. >>speaking foreign languguage]

>> it is the latest expansion in the hunt for minerals to build smart phones for consumers around the world. prices have skyrocketed, fueling

a wild west economy in minimal rich items. it produces nearly one third of all of the tin. much of the tin is used for soda , a key cocomponent in electronc devices at the smartphones and tablets. at what cost? thousands of mining stites -- sitetes off the island. > [speakingngoreign language] >> one of the many whoho dependn mining for their livelihihood.

others h he spoke to our deeply opposed to the i industry. >>

elaine: beef is a major part of argentina's vibrant culture and identity. after a long and steady decline, can it once again become one of the world's top exporters of beef? i'm elaine reyes in washington, d.c. and this is "americas now." first up... tango, bold malbec wines, and tender cuts of meat; 3 reasons why people travel from all over ththe world to e experience argentina. but the beef industry has fallen on hard times as its production and exports hahave dropped. [man speaking spanish] trtranslator: : a while back, the e market recveved over 20,00 animals per day. now it's