Farmed shrimp are typically slaughtered by ice slurry immersion without effective prior stunning. As evidence for shrimp sentience grows, welfare-positive slaughter practices are gaining attention.
Shrimp slaughter welfare sits at the uncomfortable intersection of scale and uncertainty. The numbers involved — potentially hundreds of billions annually — mean that even modest improvements in per-animal welfare outcomes represent enormous aggregate impact. The evidence for shrimp sentience, while not conclusive, is sufficient under a precautionary principle to justify investment in improving slaughter practices. Ice slurry without prior stunning causes cold stress and hypoxia before insensibility — a process that may involve minutes of distress. Electrical stunning before ice slurry immersion is achievable with existing technology and is being adopted by progressive producers. Consumer and retailer demand for verified welfare-positive shrimp slaughter is the most effective lever for scaling adoption.