Aquaculture

Commercial Shrimp Aquaculture Disease Welfare

Infectious disease in commercial shrimp aquaculture causes mass mortality events with significant welfare implications requiring prevention-focused management.

Key Facts

White spot syndrome, early mortality syndrome, and AHPND cause billion-dollar losses annually
Disease outbreaks often result in mass mortality of millions of shrimp
Biosecurity measures dramatically reduce outbreak risk
Probiotics and better husbandry can reduce antibiotic dependence

Welfare Considerations

Shrimp in mass disease outbreaks experience physiological distress and death from systemic infection. The rapid mortality characteristic of shrimp diseases means individual suffering duration is relatively short but scale is enormous. Prevention through biosecurity and good husbandry is both a welfare and economic priority. Antibiotic overuse compromising effectiveness increases disease susceptibility long-term.

What You Can Do

Support shrimp from certified operations with documented disease prevention
Advocate for disease prevention standards in shrimp aquaculture regulations
Choose ASC-certified shrimp where available
Back research into disease prevention reducing shrimp mortality