Shrimp Biosecurity and Welfare Management

How biosecurity failures in shrimp aquaculture cause welfare harm and what integrated approaches to disease prevention look like.

Key Facts

Disease outbreaks including Early Mortality Syndrome have caused billions of dollars in losses and killed billions of shrimp
Poor biosecurity practices including pathogen introduction through live feeds and water sources drive most disease events
Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) broodstock programmes significantly reduce disease incidence at farm level
Biosecure recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) eliminate many environmental disease pathways
Community-level biosecurity coordination prevents reinfection across adjacent farms

Welfare Considerations

Biosecurity in shrimp farming is fundamentally a welfare issue because the most devastating welfare events — disease outbreaks that kill entire pond populations — are primarily biosecurity failures. The billions of shrimp that die in acute disease events experience what is assumed to be acute suffering from the rapid progression of lethal pathogens. Preventive biosecurity — controlling pathogen introduction through water, feeds, and equipment — is therefore a direct welfare intervention as much as a commercial protection measure. Systems that invest in genuine biosecurity, rather than relying on antibiotic treatment after disease establishment, provide better welfare outcomes alongside the commercial benefits of lower mortality.

What You Can Do

Choose shrimp from farms with documented biosecurity programmes and low antibiotic use
Support the development of SPF broodstock programmes and certified disease-free seed production
Advocate for biosecurity requirements to be included in shrimp aquaculture certification standards
Support research into probiotics, vaccines, and selective breeding as non-antibiotic approaches to shrimp health
Reduce overall shrimp consumption and prioritise products from certified, biosecure operations