Pacific white shrimp are the most farmed crustacean globally, yet slaughter welfare remains largely unaddressed in international standards.
The sheer scale of shrimp production makes humane slaughter arguably the largest single tractable welfare intervention available in aquaculture. Even modest improvements to slaughter methods, applied across billions of animals, create substantial welfare gains. The scientific evidence on crustacean sentience has advanced significantly — including recognition of their nociceptive capacity — creating ethical and regulatory pressure to address this gap. Industry leaders in high-value markets are beginning to incorporate welfare considerations into slaughter protocol design.