Northern Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) Welfare in Nordic Aquaculture 2026

The northern shrimp is an important commercial species in cold North Atlantic waters, with aquaculture development raising new welfare questions.

Key Facts

Northern shrimp is one of the most commercially important species in Norway, Iceland, and Greenland
Wild capture fisheries dominate production, but aquaculture interest is growing
Northern shrimp are protandric hermaphrodites - all start as males and some transition to females
They inhabit cold, deep water at 0-8 degrees Celsius, making aquaculture conditions challenging to replicate
As with all shrimp, evidence for nociception and welfare-relevant capacity is growing in the scientific literature

Welfare Considerations

Northern shrimp welfare presents both familiar crustacean welfare challenges and unique questions arising from their cold water biology and hermaphroditic development. The growing evidence base for crustacean sentience applies as much to pandalid shrimp as to penaeid species, with similar implications for harvest, handling, and slaughter practices. Wild catch fisheries that harvest vast quantities by trawling raise welfare questions about trawl capture, air exposure on deck, and killing methods. Aquaculture development of this species presents an opportunity to embed welfare standards from the outset rather than retrofitting them to an established industry.

What You Can Do

Support the development of welfare standards for cold water shrimp including northern shrimp
Advocate for humane slaughter protocols in commercial processing of pandalid shrimp
Choose shrimp products from fisheries and farms demonstrating welfare-conscious practices
Encourage research into welfare-relevant indicators for coldwater crustacean species