Concern for the welfare of aquatic invertebrates produced on a commercial or industrial scale is gradually extending beyond the realm of science and becoming a requirement of other societal actors. In order to assess the welfare of Penaeus vannamei during the stages of reproduction, larval rearing, transportation, and growing-out in earthen ponds, this paper proposes protocols. It also discusses, based on a review of the literature, the procedures and viewpoints involved in the creation and use of on-farm shrimp welfare protocols. Four of the five areas of animal welfare nutrition, environment, health, and behaviour were the foundations upon which protocols were created. The indicators for the psychology domain were not thought of as belonging to a separate category, and the other suggested indicators only evaluated this domain inferentially. Apart from the three possible scores related to animal experience on a spectrum from positive to very negative, were defined based on literature and field experience. It is very likely that non-invasive methods for monitoring the welfare of farmed shrimp, like those suggested here, will become standard equipment for farms and labs, and that it will get harder to grow shrimp without taking their welfare into account at every stage of the production process.
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Journal of Animal Health and Behavioural Science received 38 citations as per Google Scholar report
