Shrimp farming is a type of aquaculture that happens in saltwater or freshwater areas, where shrimp and prawns (types of crustaceans) are raised for people to eat. However, this industry has caused problems, including harm to mangrove ecosystems, the use of slave labor, and issues related to how the animals are treated.

Marine

Commercial marine shrimp farming started in the 1970s. Production increased quickly to meet the needs of the United States, Japan, and Western Europe. In 1991, the world produced over 2.1 million tonnes of farmed shrimp, worth nearly US$9 billion. About 30% of farmed shrimp comes from Asia, especially China and Indonesia. The other 54.1% is produced mainly in Latin America, where Brazil, Ecuador, and Mexico are the largest producers. Indonesia is the largest exporter of farmed shrimp.

Shrimp farming has changed from small, traditional operations in Southeast Asia to a worldwide industry. Advances in technology have allowed shrimp to be raised in higher numbers, and breeding shrimp are now transported around the world. Almost all farmed shrimp belong to the family Penaeidae. Two species—Litopenaeus vannamei (Pacific white shrimp) at 70% and Penaeus monodon (giant tiger prawn) at 20%—make up about 90% of all farmed shrimp.

In the past, farming methods that grew only one type of shrimp were very vulnerable to diseases, which caused major losses in shrimp populations in several regions. Problems such as environmental harm, repeated disease outbreaks, and criticism from groups like NGOs, consumer countries, and even some producers led to changes in the industry by the late 1990s. Governments began enforcing stricter rules to address these issues.

In 1999, a program was started to develop and promote more sustainable farming practices. This program included government officials, industry leaders, and environmental organizations.

Freshwater

Freshwater prawn farming has many similarities with marine shrimp farming, but also faces some unique challenges. These challenges come from the life cycle of the main species, the giant river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii). In 2010, the world produced about 670,000 tons of freshwater prawns each year. China was responsible for about 615,000 tons, which is 92% of the total production.

Animal welfare

Eyestalk ablation is the process of removing one or both eyestalks from a crustacean. This practice is commonly performed on female shrimp in most marine shrimp maturation or reproduction facilities worldwide. The goal is to encourage the female shrimp to develop mature ovaries and lay eggs. However, this method has faced increasing criticism in recent years.

Poor living conditions for shrimp can prevent females from developing mature ovaries. Even in environments where shrimp might naturally produce eggs, eyestalk ablation often increases the total number of eggs and the number of females that reproduce. After the procedure, ovarian development in females typically occurs within 3 to 10 days.

Animal welfare groups have criticized eyestalk ablation. Alternatives, such as providing better-quality feed and maintaining a 2:1 ratio of female to male shrimp in tanks, have been found effective but are not widely used.

Shrimp are often killed using the ice slurry method, which involves submerging them in a mix of ice and water to cause a sudden temperature change. However, animal welfare organizations argue this method is often ineffective, leading to prolonged suffering and death by suffocation. In response, electrical stunning is now considered the most humane pre-slaughter method for shrimp. It quickly renders them unconscious, reducing pain. In 2022, the United Kingdom legally recognized decapod crustaceans, including shrimp, as sentient beings capable of feeling pain, highlighting the need for improved welfare practices.

In recent years, animal welfare groups have pushed for better shrimp farming standards. Mercy for Animals organized the first public demonstration for shrimp welfare, leading Tesco to commit in 2024 to banning eyestalk ablation and ice-slurry stunning by 2027. Instead, Tesco will use electrical stunning for key shrimp species. The UK-based Shrimp Welfare Project supports humane slaughter by providing free electrical stunners to producers and promoting the use of electrical stunning. Similarly, the International Council for Animal Welfare (ICAW) has urged major retailers, including Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's, Ocado, Waitrose, and Co-op, to stop using ice-slurry slaughter and eyestalk ablation and to adopt electrical stunning in their supply chains.