20 March 2025 | The Center for Responsible Seafood | Health and Biosecurity, Shrimp, Indonesia
PORTSMOUTH, NH: Shrimp experts from around the world will gather in Bali this June for the third annual TCRS Shrimp Summit—a one-of-a-kind event that explores the issues impacting the industry's health and future, from the pond to the market. The summit is unique not just because it represents the full value chain, including major buyers, but because it spotlights the topics, both technical and tactical, that are driving change.
This year's Summit, which takes place 22-25 June, 2025, introduces several new sessions that demonstrate the event's role as a singular forum for investigating the issues that matter.
One such issue is Shrimp Welfare, particularly the use of eyestalk ablation for rapid egg production. Dr. Simão Zacarias, one of the session speakers and a recipient of the 2020 Global Aquaculture Innovation Award, says that, "although eyestalk ablation can boost egg production, it is also associated with significant levels of female broodstock stress, physiological imbalance and mortality, and compromised resistance to disease in offspring." Addressing this issue is important not just for social licensing, he says, but for commercial success: "A growing number of international buyers/retailers are beginning to source only shrimp produced from eyestalk ablation-free systems," Zacarias notes, "so it is critical that hatcheries and farmers understand how to move to non-ablation.”
Similarly, Zacarias' colleague at the University of Stirling, Amaya Albalat, will speak at the session on current practices for the harvesting, stunning, and slaughter of shrimp. These practices are varied and unregulated, which her research has shown impacts the physiology of decapod species and may impact product quality. Legislative bodies and markets are increasingly demanding more rigorous development and application of best practices in these aspects of shrimp production.
The Shrimp Summit is co-hosted by the Global Seafood Alliance, the Shrimp Club of Indonesia, and the Indonesian Fisheries Producers Processing and Marketing Association. Early sponsors include USSEC, The Nature Conservancy, Devi Seafoods, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the North American Renderers Association (NARA).
Areas of special focus at this year's event include Improver Programs; Digital Technology; and Sustainable Feeds and Feeding. Other sessions include Shrimp Welfare; Antibiotic Residues and Management; Regenerative Production; Global Production and Markets; Breeding and Disease Management; Growout Intensification; and Innovation.
A trade show showcasing innovative, leading-edge solutions focused on sustainability has also been added to this year's program.
To make the Shrimp Summit accessible to as many people as possible, registration is offered for both in-person and virtual attendance. AI-powered language-translation services (audio and text) will be available for over 30 languages.
A post-conference tour, available for an additional fee, will provide a firsthand look at local shrimp production. More details about the tour will be announced soon.
Learn more about the 2025 TCRS Shrimp Summit at responsibleseafood.org/shrimpsummit
The Center for Responsible Seafood is focused on finding impactful solutions to large issues where the stakes are high for environmental, economic, and social well-being. TCRS strives to continually transform aquaculture through knowledge sharing, applied research, and collaboration. Its track record includes effective programs in areas such as disease management, animal welfare, food safety, and the development of an online educational platform. The nonprofit organization's ongoing work includes global surveys of practices, the identification of solutions, the development of collaborative strategies, and improver programs leading to third party certification.
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