Farmed Shrimp Welfare in Latin American Aquaculture

Latin America is a major shrimp exporting region with distinct welfare challenges around disease management, stocking density, and the widespread practice of eyestalk ablation in broodstock production.

Key Facts

Ecuador and Brazil are among the worlds top shrimp exporters, with combined production exceeding 700,000 tonnes
Whitespot syndrome and other viral diseases cause mass mortality events in Latin American shrimp farms
Eyestalk ablation of female broodstock to induce spawning is standard practice across the region
Outdoor pond systems in Latin America typically have lower stocking densities than Asian intensive systems
Certification to standards like BAP (Best Aquaculture Practices) covers a minority of Latin American production

Welfare Considerations

Latin American shrimp welfare shares the fundamental challenges of the global shrimp industry: eyestalk ablation, disease pressure, and variable stocking density standards. The outdoor pond systems common in Ecuador and Brazil can provide better conditions than highly intensive Asian systems, but welfare standards remain largely unregulated. Eyestalk ablation of millions of female broodstock without anaesthesia is a welfare harm at scale that many consumers are unaware of. Certification coverage is expanding but slowly. Consumer demand for welfare-certified shrimp products is one of the most direct market signals available to drive improvement in this sector.

What You Can Do

Choose shrimp certified to standards that prohibit eyestalk ablation
Ask seafood retailers about the origin and welfare certification of shrimp products
Support campaigns to strengthen welfare requirements in major aquaculture certification schemes
Reduce shrimp consumption if certified welfare-positive products are unavailable in your market