Shrimp welfare in aquaculture requires attention to stocking density, water quality, and slaughter methods given growing evidence of crustacean sentience.
Shrimp with demonstrated nociceptive capacity and stress responses experience physiological distress in overcrowded, poor-quality water conditions. Boiling alive as a killing method causes brief but intense thermal stress. The scale of shrimp farming means even small per-animal welfare improvements have enormous aggregate impact. Developing more humane slaughter methods and better density management are the highest-impact current welfare priorities.