Aquaculture Welfare

Farmed Prawn Disease Prevention Welfare

Disease prevention in farmed prawns is both a production priority and welfare priority - early mortality syndrome and other diseases cause mass suffering.

Key Facts

Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS/AHPND) has devastated shrimp farms across Asia
Vibrio bacteria are the primary pathogen in EMS, spreading through water and feed
Biosecurity protocols including specific pathogen free (SPF) broodstock are most effective
Probiotic supplementation reduces pathogenic Vibrio load in shrimp gut
White spot disease is the most economically significant global shrimp pathogen

Welfare Considerations

Disease events in prawn farms cause mass mortality and suffering in potentially billions of individuals. Prevention through biosecurity and improved management is both the economically and ethically superior approach to reliance on antibiotic treatment.

What You Can Do

Support certification schemes that require biosecurity and antibiotic stewardship in shrimp farming
Choose certified shrimp products from farms with documented health management
Advocate for research into better prawn disease prevention and welfare assessment