King prawns including Litopenaeus vannamei are farmed in vast quantities globally, with welfare science increasingly scrutinising the capacity for suffering and the conditions of intensive pond systems.
The welfare capacity of prawns remains scientifically contested but evidence points toward some capacity for suffering. High-density farming creates conditions of chronic crowding stress, competition and poor water quality. Disease outbreaks cause mass mortality with unclear suffering implications. Harvesting methods including sudden removal to ice slurries raise welfare concerns. As evidence of crustacean sentience grows, welfare standards are increasingly advocated.