Aquaculture Shrimp Welfare Certification Gap

Shrimp welfare is largely absent from existing aquaculture certification schemes despite growing evidence for crustacean sentience and enormous production scale.

Key Facts

Global shrimp aquaculture produces approximately 5 million tonnes annually, involving tens of billions of animals
No major certification scheme currently includes specific welfare criteria for farmed shrimp
The Shrimp Welfare Project is working with the industry to develop and pilot welfare standards
Key welfare indicators proposed include stocking density, water quality, handling and slaughter method
Boiling alive is the most common shrimp slaughter method, with electrical stunning emerging as an alternative

Welfare Considerations

The absence of shrimp welfare standards represents a major gap given the scale of production and growing evidence for crustacean sentience. Supporting the development of shrimp welfare standards is an urgent priority.

What You Can Do

Support the Shrimp Welfare Project in developing and promoting shrimp welfare standards
Reduce shrimp consumption given the current absence of welfare standards in most supply chains
Ask retailers what welfare criteria their shrimp suppliers are assessed against