SHRIMP AND PRAWN WELFARE IN THE WILDCAUGHT FISHING INDUSTRYGLOBAL REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RESEARCH AND POLICY (PB 2026)

At 37 trillion individuals per year, wild-caught shrimp and prawns appear to be the single most numerous group of animals directly killed for human food consumption on the planet. Recent scientific developments suggest that at least some species of shrimp are sentient beings, and, should that be the case, there is a need for policies that could improve shrimp welfare.

This book delves into the ethical implications of the probability that shrimp and prawns are capable of feeling pain and the welfare policies that could be adopted. It looks at global shrimp fisheries and their different animal welfare concerns, from the largest industrial trawlers in developed and developing countries to small-scale fisheries in developing countries. The authors provide a new dataset of the estimated numbers of individual shrimp caught by country and species, using this to describe the shrimp fishing industry in the world's top 30 countries by estimated catch.

Examining recent developments in government and industry policy, the book suggests ways that policymakers could improve wild-caught shrimp welfare, from installing electrical stunning equipment in large-scale trawl fisheries to improving supply chain practices in small-scale fisheries. It provides a roadmap for future research and policy to address this urgent, emerging challenge.

This book's data, visualisations, and roadmap will empower researchers, NGOs, and policymakers to focus their efforts on the most impactful and evidence-based solutions for improving aquatic animal welfare.

Dr Ren Ryba (they/them) is a research scientist with particular expertise in quantitative skills, including data analysis, statistical programming, and biological and economic modelling. Ren's PhD focused on fisheries management and policy, and Ren has worked as a fisheries scientist in government. They also hold a Graduate Certificate in Applied Economics and a Bachelor of Science (Advanced) in Ecology. Ren lives and works on Kaurna land (Adelaide, Australia).

Shannon Davis achieved her graduate degree in Marine Conservation and Policy from Stonybrook University's School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in 2018. They began their career in the aquatic animal advocacy space by creating a certification standard for farmed Atlantic salmon at Global Animal Partnership (G.A.P.), and from there moved to The Humane League until becoming the Research and Policy lead at the Shrimp Welfare Project in 2023. Shannon is passionate about advancing shrimp welfare science and taking a multi-faceted approach to addressing the challenges facing all decapod crustacean welfare efforts.

Tse Yip Fai is a research associate with Professor Peter Singer, researching the impact and ethics of artificial intelligence concerning nonhuman animals. He planned and managed Peter Singer's 2024 speaking tour of China, as well as serving as his translator and advisor on academic issues in China. Prior to that, he was an AI ethics researcher under a grant awarded by Princeton University's Center for Human Values. He has also carried out research in the fields of animal welfare advocacy and effective altruism. He was a 2021 Foresight Fellow in Animal Ethics for Artificial Intelligence. Fai’s publications include “AI ethics: the case for including animals”, a pioneering paper co-authored with Peter Singer and published in AI and Ethics, a leading peer-reviewed journal in the field of AI Ethics.

Professor Peter Singer was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1946, and has taught at Oxford, Monash University, and Princeton University. He first became well-known internationally after the publication of Animal Liberation in 1975. A fully revised and updated version, Animal Liberation Now, was published in 2023. His book The Life You Can Save led him to co-found the organization of the same name, which has raised more than US$100 million to assist people in extreme poverty.

Singer’s other books include Practical Ethics, The Most Good You Can Do, The Point of View of the Universe (co-authored with Kasia de Lazari-Radek), and, most recently, The Buddhist and the Ethicist.

In 2021, Singer was awarded the $1 million Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture. He donated the prize money to effective charities working to reduce suffering, both for humans and for animals. Since retiring from Princeton last year, he has co-hosted the podcast “Lives Well Lived” with Kasia de Lazari-Radek.