Short Takes
Andrés Jiménez Zorrilla of the Shrimp Welfare Project argues that when we think about animal cruelty, we need to think about shrimp. “Shrimp?!” you may ask. Yes, shrimp. Let’s let him make the case. We asked Andrés to explain as succinctly as possible why he thinks we need to expand our perspective, looking not just at pigs, cows, and chickens, but at these humble crustaceans.
CA: What’s the one-sentence case for caring about shrimp?
Zorrilla: Shrimps make up the largest population of farmed animals, they feel pain, their suffering is widespread yet preventable, and small changes can improve billions of lives each year.
CA: Alright, let’s break that down a bit.
Zorrilla: First, roughly half a trillion farmed shrimps are killed annually, making them the majority of farmed animals alive at any given time. Second, research shows shrimps are sentient. They exhibit behaviors like tending to injuries, responding to pain relief, and displaying signs of anxiety. Third, industry practices often involve severe suffering, such as eyestalk ablation (removing or crushing the eyes of female shrimps to force reproduction).
Finally, despite this immense scale of suffering, there’s little attention on shrimp welfare. Shrimp Welfare Project is the only nonprofit solely focused on improving the lives of farmed shrimps. We work with producers, suppliers, and retailers to promote higher-welfare practices, and our methods are cost-effective. For every $1 donated, approximately 1,500 shrimps are helped annually.
This Q&A, along with dozens more, is published in the special "Animals Issue" of Current Affairs.