Shrimp are among the most farmed animals globally, with an astonishing 440 billion killed annually for human consumption. Despite their prevalence on dinner plates, the conditions in which farmed shrimp live are often dire, involving practices such as “eyestalk ablation”—the removal of one or both eyestalks, which are crucial for their vision and sensory perception. This raises a critical question: Do shrimp experience emotions and pain, and should we be concerned about their treatment?
Emerging scientific evidence suggests that shrimp, although they may not resemble or behave like more familiar animals, likely possess the capacity to feel pain and possibly emotions. Shrimp have sensory receptors called nociceptors that detect harmful stimuli, indicating their ability to experience pain. Behavioral studies show that shrimp exhibit distress behaviors, such as rubbing or grooming injured areas, similar to how humans respond to injuries. Physiological research has also observed stress responses in shrimp, akin to those in animals known to have feelings.
Further, shrimp have demonstrated cognitive abilities, such as learning from painful experiences and making complex decisions, which suggest a higher level of cognitive processing. These findings have led to significant changes in how shrimp are perceived legally and ethically. For instance, the UK’s 2022 Animal Welfare Sentience Act recognizes shrimp as sentient beings, and countries like Austria, Switzerland, and Norway have implemented legal protections for them. The European Food Safety Authority has also recommended protections for shrimp based on compelling scientific evidence of their capacity to experience pain and distress.
While absolute certainty about shrimp emotions remains elusive, the growing body of evidence is compelling enough to warrant serious consideration of their welfare.
Shrimp are the most farmed animals in the world, with an estimated 440 billion killed each year for human consumption. Farmed shrimp are forced to live in horrible conditions and endure gruesome farming practices, including “eyestalk ablation”—removal of one or both of their eyestalks, the antenna-like shafts that support the animals’ eyes.
But do we need to worry about how shrimp are treated? Do they have feelings?
Scientific Evidence:
They may not look or act like other animals, but growing evidence and research suggest that it’s highly likely shrimp can feel pain, and it’s possible they have the capacity for emotions too.
Sensory Receptors: Shrimp and other crustaceans have sensory receptors known as nociceptors, which respond to potentially harmful stimuli. This suggests that they can detect and respond to pain, an important aspect of experiencing feelings.
Behavioral Evidence: Shrimp exhibit behaviors indicating discomfort or distress when exposed to harmful conditions. For example, they may rub or groom injured areas, similar to how humans tend to an injury. It has been documented that mutilating the animals’ eyestalk (a cruel practice commonly done at shrimp farms) caused shrimp to rub the affected area and swim erratically.
Physiological Responses: Studies have observed stress responses in shrimp, such as the release of stress hormones when they encounter harmful situations. These responses are comparable to those seen in animals known to have feelings.
Cognitive Abilities: Shrimp have demonstrated the ability to learn from and remember painful experiences. This capability suggests a level of cognitive processing that could be associated with having feelings. They are also capable of complex decision-making, such as choosing between different food sources or mates based on their quality.
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While we can’t say with 100% certainty that shrimp have feelings, the evidence is so compelling that the UK’s 2022 Animal Welfare Sentience Act recognizes shrimp as sentient beings. Shrimp raised for food have legal protections in Austria, Switzerland, and Norway. And in 2005, the EU’s European Food Safety Authority published a report recommending that shrimp receive protections.
“The scientific evidence clearly indicates that those groups of animals are able to experience pain and distress, or the evidence, either directly or by analogy with animals in the same taxonomic group(s), are able to experience pain and distress.”
European Food Safety Authority
Shrimp exist for their own reasons, and they’re not ours to exploit. In addition to cruel farming practices like eyestalk ablation, farmed shrimp often endure prolonged deaths via “ice slurry,” a stunning method that causes many animals to die from suffocating or being crushed. If there is any chance that shrimp can feel pain or fear, these cruel farming practices must come to an end now.
Take Action:
The best thing you can do for shrimp and other animals is to leave them off your plate and choose more plant-based foods. There are several delicious vegan shrimp products available in stores and online.
You can also stand up for shrimp by calling on Tesco, the UK’s largest retailer, to ban eyestalk ablation and transition from ice slurry to electrical stunning. These changes would have a massive impact on the five billion shrimp Tesco sources each year.
➡️ Sign the petition now!
Notice: This content was initially published on MercyForAnimals.org and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Humane Foundation.
