Macrobrachium rosenbergii, the giant freshwater prawn, is farmed extensively across South and Southeast Asia. Understanding their welfare needs reveals significant gaps in current production practices.
Giant freshwater prawn welfare in pond aquaculture is compromised primarily by intraspecific aggression. Dominant males physically exclude subordinates from optimal feeding areas, causing chronic nutritional stress and social defeat. The visible injuries from agonistic encounters, including antenna loss and claw damage, demonstrate the welfare cost of intensive culture. Subordinate males and females may experience chronic social stress throughout their rearing period. Harvest procedures involving pond draining, crowding and live transport impose severe acute stress with measurable physiological correlates including haemolymph stress markers.