Shrimp represent some of the largest numbers of any farmed animal; mounting evidence of crustacean nociception means their welfare in aquaculture deserves urgent research and policy attention.
The scale of shrimp farming combined with emerging evidence of crustacean sentience makes shrimp welfare a significant moral concern. Eyestalk ablation — the removal of eyestalks to induce gonadal development — is painful and performed without anaesthesia on vast numbers of broodstock shrimp. Welfare-conscious alternatives to ablation are being researched. The precautionary principle demands that welfare standards for shrimp keep pace with developing scientific understanding.