Pacific White Shrimp Welfare in Latin American Aquaculture

Ecuador, Honduras, and Peru are major Pacific white shrimp producers, with welfare considerations around stocking density, disease management, and the emerging scientific recognition of crustacean sentience.

Key Facts

Ecuador became the world's largest shrimp exporter by volume in 2020, producing over 700,000 tonnes annually
Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) production in Latin America uses semi-intensive and intensive pond systems
Early mortality syndrome (EMS) and white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) cause significant welfare and production losses
Latin American shrimp aquaculture has adopted better practices through ASC certification in some operations

Welfare Considerations

High-density shrimp ponds in Latin America experience oxygen depletion events causing hypoxic stress and mass mortality. Disease outbreaks from WSSV cause rapid systemic infection and death across affected ponds. Chemical treatment of disease uses compounds that themselves cause welfare stress including formalin and organophosphates. Wild post-larval capture for pond stocking involves collecting large numbers of mixed species, discarding non-target larvae. Slaughter by ice chilling, boiling, or rapid freezing represents a range of welfare impacts depending on the speed of immobilisation.

What You Can Do

Choose Latin American shrimp with ASC certification requiring disease management and water quality standards
Support Shrimp Welfare Project engagement with Latin American producers on welfare improvements
Advocate for FAO guidance on shrimp welfare in developing country aquaculture frameworks
Raise awareness that Latin American shrimp production scale — hundreds of thousands of tonnes annually — makes welfare improvements high-impact