Macrobrachium rosenbergii farming in Asia raises welfare concerns around crowding, male aggression, poor water quality and slaughter without stunning.
Male giant freshwater prawns are highly aggressive and establish dominance hierarchies in which subordinates are injured and grow poorly. Crowding amplifies this welfare problem. Eyestalk ablation to induce spawning in females involves tissue removal without anaesthesia. Pond drainage for harvest concentrates prawns in shrinking water volumes, causing hypoxia and acute stress. Stunning before slaughter is rarely practised. The developing decapod sentience evidence base increasingly argues for improved welfare standards across crustacean aquaculture.