Shrimp aquaculture produces over 5 million tonnes annually, but extremely high stocking densities create conditions that compromise welfare and drive disease outbreaks.
The welfare status of shrimp is actively debated, but growing evidence suggests they have the neural capacity to experience at least some form of negative state. Regardless of the precise welfare status of individual shrimp, the scale of suffering from disease outbreaks in overcrowded systems is potentially enormous. Millions of shrimp experiencing the rapid tissue destruction of white spot syndrome or EMS represent a significant welfare concern even under conservative assumptions about shrimp sentience. High stocking densities also create chronic stress measurable through physiological markers. The precautionary principle supports reducing stocking densities and improving disease prevention as welfare-positive interventions.