Processing plant welfare for shrimp is the final and often worst welfare stage. Improving slaughter methods would reduce suffering for billions of animals annually.
Shrimp slaughter welfare represents the largest single opportunity for welfare improvement in global aquaculture by number of individuals affected. The transition from live boiling or icing without prior stunning to electrical stunning before slaughter would improve welfare for billions of animals. The technology is available and cost-effective at industrial scale. The Shrimp Welfare Project is working directly with processing facilities to demonstrate and scale electrical stunning adoption. Consumer and retailer demand for certified humane slaughter drives commercial change faster than regulation.