Methods used to kill farmed shrimp at harvest vary enormously in their welfare implications, with most conventional methods causing potential suffering in sentient animals.
The legal recognition of shrimp sentience in the UK creates an ethical obligation to consider their welfare at slaughter. Ice slurry methods commonly used may cause suffering if shrimp remain conscious during cooling. The scale is enormous - billions of shrimp are harvested annually. Electrical stunning methods that cause rapid insensibility exist and are being adopted by some higher welfare producers. The gap between welfare science, legal recognition and industry practice represents one of the most significant unfulfilled welfare obligations in food production.