What research shows about optimal stocking densities for farmed shrimp welfare and how this relates to current commercial practice.
Stocking density research for shrimp provides growing evidence that current commercial densities create welfare compromise across multiple indicators. High densities increase competition, reduce growth rate, impair water quality, and increase disease susceptibility — all welfare-relevant outcomes. The welfare case for lower stocking densities is strengthened by the commercial argument that better welfare outcomes (lower mortality, higher individual size) can partially offset the cost of using more water and land. The challenge is persuading an industry accustomed to maximising density that the welfare and commercial optima can be aligned at lower densities than currently used. Certification standards that set maximum density limits are one mechanism for driving this change.