Zahlen, bitte! 440 billion shrimp per year as global food

The numbers are impressive: With an annual production of 440 billion animals, shrimp from the crustacean family far outrank fish, insects, and poultry in food production, which follow in subsequent positions in terms of numbers. When it comes to the controlled production of animal protein for human consumption, farmed animals such as whiteleg shrimp and tiger shrimp lead by a significant margin. However, it is not easy for science and industry to meet the increased demand from the perspectives of species and environmental protection.

With a consumption of 2.5 billion large shrimp per year, Germany is in the middle range, while the USA holds the top position. Over 90 percent of the shrimp offered in Germany comes from India, Southeast Asia, and South America. Approaches to animal welfare-friendly production have only existed for a few years, while news like that about the discovery of radioactively contaminated batches repeatedly emerges.

Zahlen, bitte!

In this section, we present amazing, impressive, informative and funny figures ("Zahlen") from the fields of IT, science, art, business, politics and, of course, mathematics every Tuesday. The wordplay "Zahlen, bitte!" for a section about numbers is based on the ambiguity of the German word "Zahlen." On one hand, "Zahlen" can be understood as a noun in the sense of digits and numerical values, which fits the theme of the section. On the other hand, the phrase "Zahlen, bitte!" is reminiscent of a waiter's request in a restaurant or bar when they are asked to bring the bill. Through this association, the section acquires a playful and slightly humorous undertone that catches the readers' attention and makes them curious about the presented numbers and facts.

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In recent decades, farming has taken up an increasingly large space: Initially, only the black tiger shrimp was farmed, and from 2000 onwards, the whiteleg shrimp, also known as the white tiger shrimp, followed. The rearing is largely carried out in countries of the Global South, where the necessary water temperature of 20 degrees is easily achieved.

Criticism of husbandry and killing methods

A report was written in 2019 about the conditions in shrimp farming. It particularly criticized the practice of cutting off the eyes of breeding females. This ablation is intended to increase egg laying. In response to the report, the Shrimp Welfare Project (SWP) was founded, which deals with further aspects of shrimp farming. This includes the practice of stunning the animals with ice water before they are slaughtered.

This practice is criticized by a report by the International Council for Animal Welfare (ICAW) [PDF], which was published in October 2025 and advocates for electrical stunning, which the SWP also calls for. Corresponding to these practices, European supermarket chains were individually evaluated by the ICAW. As early as 2005, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) pointed out in a report that shrimp and other decapods can feel pain. The Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety also recommends electrical stunning in a modified tank as a species-appropriate killing method for domestic breeding stations.

Quality seals with different requirements

There are several quality seals for shrimp farming. The best known is likely the seal of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, which is awarded for the avoidance of antibiotics, the predominant feeding with fishmeal, and constant monitoring of water quality. Further requirements include compliance with international labor standards and free coastal access for the local population.

The seal does not specify maximum stocking densities per hectare or per square meter. According to Stiftung Warentest, 94 percent of whiteleg shrimp and 42 percent of black tiger shrimp in German trade carry the ASC seal. However, according to ICAW assessments, the ASC seal also means that farms are not required to make binding commitments to introduce electrical stunning, and eye stalk ablation will only be banned from 2031.

The EU organic seal for aquaculture sets requirements for water quality and limits stocking density to 2400 kg per hectare, with the animals living in naturalistic ponds and being fed organic feed. In contrast to the ASC seal, no social requirements are mentioned. The use of antibiotics is possible in exceptional cases but must be well before harvest.

The strictest requirements for shrimp farms are set by the Naturland Aquaculture Guidelines. Here, the biomass must not exceed 1600 kg per hectare, which corresponds to a stocking density of 15 shrimp per square meter. Juvenile animals may only come from natural reproduction. Eye stalk ablation is prohibited, as is the use of antibiotics and chemotherapeutics. Water quality may only be degraded by 10 percent, and mangrove forests must be reforested after five years if shrimp farming has been carried out there. Shrimp farms can also be operated in Germany. They supply high-end restaurants with freshly caught shrimp and charge around 60 euros per kilo for it. Thus, shrimp become a luxury good.

The opposite of a luxury offering appeared in the USA this year. There, shrimp contaminated with cesium-137 from Indonesia reached the US wholesale trade through several suppliers. Subsequently, the US health authority FDA warned against consumption. A metal processing plant in the Cikande industrial zone that scraps medical equipment was identified as the cause of the Radioactive Shrimp Scare. The radioactive isotope could be detected in the shrimp on shrimp farms within a 400-mile radius. The radiant future of shrimp farming is likely not that.

(mho)