Giant river prawns (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) are farmed extensively in Asia and increasingly globally, with welfare considerations as recognized sentient decapod crustaceans.
Giant river prawn welfare is affected by the species' complex social structure in addition to the general welfare challenges of intensive crustacean farming. Dominant males exclude subordinate males from food access, causing size variation and welfare compromise in subordinate individuals. Larval culture requires precise salinity management; suboptimal conditions cause mass mortality. High stocking densities in grow-out ponds cause aggression and injury. Harvest and slaughter methods including live boiling or ice slurry exposure cause prolonged aversive experience in animals now recognized as sentient. Improved stunning methods and stocking density management are achievable welfare improvements.