Shrimp are the most consumed seafood globally by weight, and their farming raises significant welfare questions given evidence of nociception and the conditions of intensive aquaculture.
Shrimp farming presents a massive welfare challenge given the scale of production and the growing scientific evidence that shrimp experience pain and distress. The practices common in intensive shrimp farming - extreme crowding, eyestalk ablation, chemical processing - would be clearly unacceptable if applied to vertebrates with equivalent evidence of sentience. The welfare gap between what science now suggests shrimp can experience and how they are actually treated in production is very large. Consumer pressure and certification reform offer pathways to improvement, but the economic pressures in shrimp production are intense and change requires sustained advocacy and supply chain engagement.