Prawns and shrimp are among the most farmed aquatic animals globally, yet their welfare receives far less attention than many other species.
The welfare of farmed shrimp has been substantially neglected partly because of historical assumptions that crustaceans do not experience pain. Scientific evidence now supports that decapod crustaceans have nociceptive systems capable of processing painful stimuli, and that they display motivationally driven avoidance learning. High-density shrimp farming creates crowding stress, increases disease transmission, and limits behavioral expression. At slaughter, the vast majority of shrimp are killed by methods that do not achieve rapid loss of consciousness. Welfare improvements in shrimp farming are at an early stage but are being driven by emerging certification criteria and advocacy from welfare organizations.