Two new MoUs signed

Hello from Shrimp Welfare Project!

Our work is progressing well and we have quite a few updates to share!

First of all, we are happy to announce that we signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), one with ThinkAqua and the other with Optimar. We are very excited about these collaborations and give you more details about them further down in this newsletter. 

Our work in India and in Vietnam are advancing wonderfully! In India, we hired two new field coordinators to join the team working on our pilot study. We are also excited to inform you that the data collection for the scoping work in Vietnam is complete! We hope to finalise the report and publish it next month.

Most of the team met in person for the first time in the UK! We are a fully remote team and many of us only knew each other through our computers. We were thrilled to spend a week together and some very useful work came out of this gathering.

Finally, Shrimp Welfare Project continues to work on raising awareness about shrimp welfare. On November 3rd, Andrés, our CEO, went to Yachay Tech University in Ecuador to talk about this issue!

Have a great week!

Léa | Communications Lead

We have signed an MoU with ThinkAqua to collaborate to support improvements in shrimp farming that will increase welfare along the supply chain. The work will cover all aspects of farming, from hatchery to harvest, and includes actions to improve water quality, reduce disease incidence and minimise stress during handling and harvesting. The initial partnership will be focused on farmers and processors in Indonesia, and the team will explore further collaboration in India and Vietnam, where we are already working. 

"We are excited to be collaborating with Shrimp Welfare Project in Indonesia. Together with industry partners, we will take a pragmatic approach to addressing fundamental good practice in aquaculture that can support improvements in welfare whilst also improving environmental and economic outcomes for farmers." Anton Immink, ThinkAqua.

"We are extremely grateful to ThinkAqua for inviting us to participate in this pioneering project. We are convinced that consumers are increasingly interested in the ethical implications of their food choices including environmental, social and animal welfare issues." Andres Jimenez Zorrilla, Shrimp Welfare Project.

We have signed an MoU with Optimar to collaborate to promote more humane slaughter practices for shrimps! We both recognise the need to minimise the suffering of shrimps in the farming industry and commit to doing so. 

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), whiteleg shrimps (L. vannamei) are the most widely produced aquatic animal species for human consumption (5.8 million tons in 2020). For farmed shrimps in general, it is estimated that around 400 billion individuals are killed each year. The most widely used method of slaughter for shrimps is immersion in ice water slurry, but, unfortunately, there are growing concerns that immersion in ice may not render decapods unconscious and may even be detrimental to their welfare.

Optimar has led some promising advances in more humane slaughter technology that we both would like to see further studied, developed and adopted. Our work together will consist of moving towards these goals!

The week of November 28 was our first in-person strategy week! Most of our team met in Manchester for the first part of the week and then travelled to London for the last few days. We also had the chance to visit and work in the Charity Entrepreneurship office in London. Andrés (our CEO) and Lucas (our Research Lead) were not able to join us on site but were still able to participate by video.

During this week, different working sessions were organised. Each team member facilitated at least one working session, each of which focused on different topics, such as biosecurity, working tools, and strategic reflection on Shrimp Welfare Project perspectives. 

This week was very productive and instructive. Our team came out of it even more united and important ideas and insights resulted from it.

If you want to learn more about shrimp welfare and the shrimp farming industry:

• Meet Lien-Huong Trinh, Vietnam Programme Coordinator, Shrimp Welfare Project - Curious Vedanth, Season 6 Episode 4

• A wake-up call to the shrimp industry - Willem van der Pijl

• The Welfare Range Table - Rethink Priorities

Job opportunities:

• International Generalist - Fish Welfare Initiative

• Project Design & Research Manager - Fish Welfare Initiative

• General Application (Volunteers) - Shrimp Welfare Project