Biofloc technology in shrimp farming creates microbial communities that improve water quality and reduce disease, with significant welfare implications for farmed shrimp populations.
Biofloc technology offers genuine welfare benefits for farmed shrimp through improved water quality management and disease resistance. Lower ammonia concentrations reduce chronic chemical stress on gill tissue and immune function. Continuous access to foraging substrate through the microbial flocs reduces the competition-related stress that occurs around feed application in conventional systems. Reduced disease incidence means fewer mass mortality events and reduced requirements for chemical or antibiotic treatments that themselves cause welfare compromise. However, the oxygen management demands of biofloc systems create a welfare risk if dissolved oxygen falls below critical thresholds, requiring robust monitoring and emergency aeration capacity.