Disease outbreaks in shrimp aquaculture cause mass mortality and suffering on a vast scale; biosecurity improvements protect individual shrimp welfare alongside farm viability.
Shrimp disease welfare operates at an almost incomprehensible scale. Disease outbreaks in shrimp farms kill billions of individual animals, and while the welfare status of individual shrimp remains uncertain, the precautionary principle suggests that mass mortality events from disease are welfare concerns worthy of attention. Beyond mortality, disease progression causes physiological disruption in surviving individuals that may involve suffering-like states. Biosecurity improvements that reduce disease outbreaks are thus simultaneously farm viability improvements and potential welfare improvements. Lower stocking densities, which reduce disease transmission rates, are both welfare-positive and biosecurity-positive. The welfare case for improving shrimp aquaculture biosecurity aligns with the economic case, making it an area where industry and welfare interests converge.