Shrimp farming produces over 4 million tonnes annually with virtually no welfare standards, despite growing evidence that decapod crustaceans can experience pain.
Shrimp placed directly into ice slurry without stunning take 20-60 minutes to become insensate - a prolonged period of potential suffering at a scale of billions of animals. The growing scientific consensus on decapod sentience means this practice is increasingly ethically indefensible. High-density pond systems cause stress measurable through hemolymph glucose and survival rates. The scale of shrimp production - tens of billions of individuals per year - makes even small welfare improvements per animal consequential at the aggregate level.