Shrimp Welfare Certification Gaps and Future Standards

Current aquaculture certification schemes address environmental sustainability but largely overlook shrimp welfare, with emerging standards beginning to fill this gap as evidence for crustacean sentience grows.

Key Facts

Major aquaculture certification schemes including ASC and GlobalGAP have historically focused on environmental and food safety criteria
Shrimp welfare criteria are beginning to appear in voluntary high-welfare certification programs
Water quality parameters including dissolved oxygen, pH, and ammonia have welfare implications beyond production effects
Stocking density regulations for shrimp are largely absent from current certification schemes
Slaughter welfare including stunning before killing is not required by any major shrimp certification scheme
The Good Shrimp Standard and emerging schemes are beginning to incorporate welfare criteria
Retailer-driven welfare requirements are creating commercial pressure for shrimp welfare certification development

Welfare Considerations

The absence of welfare criteria in dominant shrimp certification schemes reflects a historical consensus that crustaceans are not sentient. As this consensus shifts following growing evidence and legislative recognition of decapod sentience, certification must evolve. Retailers and food service companies that have made welfare commitments for other species face increasing scrutiny for their shrimp sourcing. The development of credible shrimp welfare standards represents a major opportunity to improve welfare for billions of animals annually. Consumer and retailer engagement with emerging welfare schemes creates the demand signal needed to drive certification development and producer adoption.

What You Can Do

Choose shrimp from producers participating in emerging welfare certification schemes when available
Engage with retailers about their shrimp welfare sourcing requirements and support for welfare certification development
Support organizations developing shrimp welfare standards including the Shrimp Welfare Project
Advocate for welfare criteria to be included in revisions of major aquaculture certification schemes
Reduce shrimp consumption until credible welfare standards are widely available and adopted
Learn about the evidence for shrimp sentience to engage in informed advocacy for welfare standards
Support research into shrimp welfare indicators that can be practically measured on farms