Shrimp aquaculture involves hundreds of billions of animals annually. The evidence for shrimp sentience and the welfare conditions in typical production make this a major welfare priority.
Shrimp welfare represents one of the most significant welfare challenges by sheer number of animals affected. With hundreds of billions farmed annually, even small per-animal welfare improvements have enormous aggregate impact. The evidence that shrimp are sentient — capable of experiencing pain and distress — is now strong enough to have prompted legislative recognition in the UK and to drive research into welfare-positive production practices. Standard shrimp farming practices including extreme crowding, poor water quality, disease burden, eyestalk ablation, and unstunned killing create conditions involving widespread suffering. The Shrimp Welfare Project is pioneering the development of practical welfare standards for this industry. Consumer and retailer pressure for more humane shrimp production is beginning to create market incentives for reform.