Shrimp are the most consumed seafood globally and are farmed in enormous numbers. Emerging evidence of their capacity for pain and stress is prompting new welfare standards for this historically overlooked sector.
Shrimp welfare has historically received little attention due to uncertainty about their sentience. However, the precautionary principle combined with emerging pain science suggests they deserve moral consideration. Key welfare concerns include chronic crowding stress, poor water quality causing respiratory distress, disease outbreaks causing mass suffering, and slaughter methods that may cause pain. The Shrimp Welfare Project is working with producers to implement practical improvements including better water quality management and more humane slaughter.