Andrés Jimenez Zorilla on Shrimp Welfare Project and why we should care about shrimp
Jul 20, 2023
01:13:01
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Andrés Jiménez Zorrilla from the Shrimp Welfare Initiative discusses the importance of shrimp welfare in shrimp farming. Topics covered include improving shrimp welfare practices in Europe and Asia, welfare concerns in farming such as poor water quality and inhumane slaughter practices, success regions of the Shrimp Welfare Project, the impact of effective altruism on animal advocacy, recent news in Spain regarding pets, and ways to get involved and support shrimp welfare.
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Quick takeaways
The Shrimp Welfare Project is dedicated to improving the lives of farm shrimps by addressing inhumane practices and promoting humane slaughter methods.
Shrimp farming involves various stages, and the Shrimp Welfare Project works to address welfare issues at each stage, including disease prevention and eliminating practices like eyestalk ablation.
The Shrimp Welfare Project has achieved significant wins by signing agreements with producers to stun shrimp before slaughter and working with retailers to improve welfare standards.
Deep dives
The Work of Shrimp Welfare Project
The Shrimp Welfare Project is the only organization dedicated to improving the lives of shrimp. They focus on reducing the suffering of farm shrimps worldwide through various initiatives. Their work involves corporate engagement, improving water quality, addressing inhumane practices like eyestalk ablation, and promoting humane slaughter methods. They have achieved significant wins, including signing agreements with producers to start stunning shrimps before slaughter and working with retailers to push for better welfare standards. They continue to explore and implement new ways to improve shrimp welfare.
The Lives of Shrimps in the Farming System
Shrimps go through various stages in the farming system, starting with the broodstock, which are used to lay eggs. The eggs hatch and the baby shrimps are kept in a hatchery and then a nursery before being transferred to a grow-out pond. The mortality rate during these stages is high, mainly due to diseases and poor water quality. Eyestalk ablation, a common practice, involves cutting the eyes of female shrimps to induce egg-laying. This practice leads to suffering and early death. Slaughter methods also contribute to poor welfare, with shrimps often not being rendered unconscious before being killed. The Shrimp Welfare Project works to address these welfare issues at every stage of the farming system.
Successes and Future Goals
The Shrimp Welfare Project has achieved several important successes. They have signed agreements with producers to start stunning shrimps before slaughter, which will impact a significant number of shrimps. They have also worked with retailers in the UK to improve welfare standards and have gained traction in countries like Honduras, Vietnam, and India. The organization continues to expand and explore new ways to improve shrimp welfare, focusing on education, corporate engagement, and the adoption of humane practices. They are currently hiring and welcome volunteers and donations to support their ongoing efforts.
Interesting Facts about Shrimps
Shrimps have their hearts in their heads, and the curled shape we commonly associate with shrimps is actually a result of cooking, with shrimps typically being straight in their everyday lives. There are thousands of shrimp species with a wide range of colors and characteristics, highlighting their biodiversity.
Importance of Measuring Effectiveness in Animal Advocacy
The speaker emphasizes the importance of measuring effectiveness in animal advocacy. While acknowledging some concerns about the effective altruism movement, they believe that focusing on effectiveness is valuable. They argue that instead of dismissing measurement efforts, the focus should be on improving the way complex outcomes are measured. By doing so, the animal advocacy movement can achieve greater impact and effectiveness.
We are celebrating our 10th podcast episode - Yay! To celebrate, we interviewed Andrés Jiménez Zorrilla from the Shrimp Welfare Initiative who inspired the name of our podcast, How I Learned to Love Shrimp.
Shrimp Welfare Project is the only organisation solely dedicated to improving the lives of shrimp. In this episode we talk about the case for working on shrimp, the current scale of and practices within shrimp farming, as well as what Shrimp Welfare Project have learned over the past 2 years.
Thanks to all of our listeners so far and we look forward to the next 10!
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