White shrimp are harvested in large quantities by Gulf of Mexico trawl fisheries and in growing aquaculture operations, with welfare considerations around trawl bycatch and live handling.
White shrimp welfare considerations involve both capture and aquaculture contexts. Trawl fishing captures large quantities of bycatch alongside shrimp, with non-target species subject to sorting and discarding that causes significant mortality. The sorting process subjects surviving organisms to air exposure and handling stress. In aquaculture, shrimp in high-density pond systems may experience oxygen depletion events causing mass mortality. Harvest by draining ponds exposes shrimp to air and temperature stress. Processing of live shrimp by boiling or freezing alive, without any attempt at prior stunning, may cause pain given growing evidence of crustacean sentience.