{"id":807,"date":"2026-05-20T10:00:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T09:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/agrifood-futures\/?p=807"},"modified":"2026-05-27T11:04:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T10:04:24","slug":"shrimp-minds-and-welfare-to-be-researched-at-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/agrifood-futures\/shrimp-minds-and-welfare-to-be-researched-at-reading\/","title":{"rendered":"Shrimp minds and welfare to be researched at Reading"},"content":{"rendered":"

A University of Reading philosopher is to spend a year researching the inner lives and welfare of shrimp, funded by a grant of \u00a353,256 from <\/span>Shrimp Welfare Project<\/span><\/a>, a registered charity focused on science-based welfare improvements to shrimp farming worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr Walter Veit, Lecturer in Philosophy, will draw on research in neuroscience, animal\u00a0behaviour\u00a0and philosophy to build a picture of what shrimp experience and how farming practices affect welfare.<\/span><\/p>\n

The project aims to produce a book, provisionally titled\u00a0Armoured\u00a0Minds: The Surprising Mental Lives of Shrimp, written for the public. It will examine welfare concerns in shrimp farming, including crowding, slaughter methods and a hatchery practice known as eyestalk ablation, in which one or both of a mother shrimp’s eyestalks are removed to increase spawning and reproduction.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Around 440 billion shrimp are\u00a0farmed\u00a0globally each year, yet\u00a0relatively little\u00a0research has examined what they experience or how farming conditions affect them. The project also considers recent UK legislation that\u00a0recognised\u00a0crabs,\u00a0lobsters\u00a0and shrimp as sentient animals capable of feeling pain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr Veit said: “Most people have never thought about what life is like for a shrimp. This book is an attempt to take that question seriously, looking at the science of how shrimp think, feel and respond to their environment. When you start to learn about these animals, it changes how you see them. I found that out for myself, and the science backs it up. The question now is what that means for the way we farm them.” \"\"<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Robin Goist, Director of Communications at Shrimp Welfare Project, said: \u201cShrimp are among the most numerously farmed animals on the planet, and Dr Veit\u2019s book is a rare opportunity for the broader public to consider these fascinating \u2013 yet often overlooked \u2013 creatures. At Shrimp Welfare Project, we support the shrimp farming industry\u2019s transition to higher welfare through practical, evidence-based improvements, and\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0seen how progress happens when researchers, NGOs, and corporates learn from each other. Understanding what these animals perceive can help inform higher-welfare standards and practices across global shrimp supply chains.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The project runs from February 2026 to\u00a0February 2027\u00a0with a publication date for the book\u00a0anticipated\u00a0for 2028.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more about and donate to Walter Veit\u2019s animal welfare research at the University of Reading here:\u00a0<\/span>Animal Welfare Research \u2013 Dr Walter Veit<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Notes to editors<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr\u00a0Walter\u00a0Veit is available for\u00a0interview. Contact the University of Reading Press Office on 0118 378 5757 or\u00a0<\/span>pressoffice@reading.ac.uk<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read Dr Walter Veit\u2019s blog on Connected Research:\u00a0<\/span>Shrimps on the barbie: an Australian Christmas<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Dr Walter Veit is among the many academic staff who work on research with, and of, animals at the University of Reading, which also includes animal procedures for the treatment of various\u00a0illness\u00a0and diseases.\u00a0<\/span>To find out more about animal research procedures at Reading:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n