Prawns and shrimp are among the most farmed animals globally, yet welfare standards remain minimal despite growing evidence of their capacity to experience pain and stress.
Shrimp and prawn welfare has been historically neglected because of uncertainty about their sentience, but current evidence increasingly supports their capacity for pain and stress. Eyestalk ablation, performed without anesthetic on millions of broodstock females annually, causes obvious tissue damage and behavioral distress. High stocking densities, poor water quality, and disease pressure compound welfare problems. The Shrimp Welfare Project and similar organizations are developing evidence-based husbandry standards that improve both welfare outcomes and production sustainability.