Shrimp are the world's most traded seafood commodity. Growing evidence of crustacean sentience raises serious welfare questions about the conditions in which billions are raised and killed.
Farmed shrimp welfare is an emerging concern as scientific understanding of crustacean sentience advances. The evidence that shrimp can experience nociception and likely suffer is now strong enough to inform welfare policy. Eyestalk ablation — conducted without anesthesia on breeding shrimp — causes direct tissue damage and is considered a welfare harm by the Shrimp Welfare Project. High-density pond conditions cause chronic crowding stress, immune suppression, and disease. Boiling or freezing live shrimp — common processing methods — likely causes pain. The Shrimp Welfare Project and Aquatic Life Institute are developing welfare standards and working with producers to adopt less harmful practices including electrical stunning prior to slaughter.