Intensive tropical shrimp farming is a major global industry with significant welfare concerns including disease outbreaks, crowding stress and inhumane slaughter practices.
The welfare of intensively farmed tropical shrimp involves three major concerns: chronic crowding stress in high-density ponds, disease-driven mass mortality events that cause widespread suffering, and inhumane slaughter without stunning. Evidence for shrimp sentience is growing — their nociceptive responses suggest they can experience pain. Welfare standards for shrimp farming lag significantly behind those for fish, let alone vertebrates.