Thank you for sharing these important information. It is important to remind people how important this issue is.
My extra worry about the consumption of aquatic animals is that they seem to be much less replaceable than terrestrial animal meats and eggs and milk by plant-based mock meat or cultivated meat (PB/CM). In fact for some popular shrimp dishes I just can’t see how PB/CM will ever replace the shrimps there in large scale, such as live shrimp salad, shrimp sashimi (traditionally served with the tails intact, sometimes even the heads), Chinese style steamed and fried shrimps, and hotpots with shrimps.
It seems to me the solution of some forms of meat eating has to be other than PB/CM.
I agree: it definitely seems unlikely that plant-based alternatives could substitute for something like live shrimp salad. But note that the majority (~19 trillion) of shrimp killed are A. japonicus (akiami paste shrimp). Relative to other products, paste texture is less complex and the animal origin perhaps less culturally salient; I bet many consumers would substitute shrimp paste for plant-based paste.
(I work w/ Daniela and Elisa but wasn’t involved in this report)
Are there folks working on plant based shrimp paste alternatives, and/or other ways of working on reducing demand for shrimp paste?
This seems like potentially a very neglected area of intervention for animal motivated entrepreneurs (i.e. a gap I wouldn’t expect the market to organically fill):
My guess is the consumers are generally less wealthy than the average plant-based alternative consumer in Western countries
Doesn’t feel as much of a ‘fancy’ ingredient vs beef or other expensive meats
Shrimp are less sympathetic animals :(
I’d be really excited for folks to work on this! I’m not sure if you think there are a few people on the ball already, or if basically no one is owning this right now?
I agree: this seems like a potentially high-impact entrepreneurial opportunity and, although I’m not absolutely certain that nobody owns this project right now, I’m confident it’s under-explored/under-actioned.
I strongly disagree with your statement. I have given reasons why this information is not only not important, but is actively deceiving people and encouraging them to act in immoral ways by incorrectly placing moral weight on invertebrates which are not evidenced to be of any moral value. Spreading this incorrect information is thus, in my view, actively harmful.
Erroneous information like this is diluting discussion and attention on valid issues, and harming our epistemological norms.
These arguments given in defense of the moral value of shrimp are insufficient:
Recently, Birch et al. (2021) and Crump et al. (2022a) reviewed the evidence of sentience in decapod crustaceans, with a focus on pain experience. Similar to findings previously reported by Waldhorn (2019; see also Waldhorn et al., 2020), these studies concluded that there is substantial, although limited, evidence that decapods might be sentient.
For this information about the pain experience of shrimp to even be relevant, you must first argue that ability to feel pain necessitates having moral value. I strongly disagree with this point. I believe it is the social relations between thinking beings that is the basis of morality.
Thank you for sharing these important information. It is important to remind people how important this issue is.
My extra worry about the consumption of aquatic animals is that they seem to be much less replaceable than terrestrial animal meats and eggs and milk by plant-based mock meat or cultivated meat (PB/CM). In fact for some popular shrimp dishes I just can’t see how PB/CM will ever replace the shrimps there in large scale, such as live shrimp salad, shrimp sashimi (traditionally served with the tails intact, sometimes even the heads), Chinese style steamed and fried shrimps, and hotpots with shrimps.
It seems to me the solution of some forms of meat eating has to be other than PB/CM.
I agree: it definitely seems unlikely that plant-based alternatives could substitute for something like live shrimp salad. But note that the majority (~19 trillion) of shrimp killed are A. japonicus (akiami paste shrimp). Relative to other products, paste texture is less complex and the animal origin perhaps less culturally salient; I bet many consumers would substitute shrimp paste for plant-based paste.
(I work w/ Daniela and Elisa but wasn’t involved in this report)
Are there folks working on plant based shrimp paste alternatives, and/or other ways of working on reducing demand for shrimp paste?
This seems like potentially a very neglected area of intervention for animal motivated entrepreneurs (i.e. a gap I wouldn’t expect the market to organically fill):
My guess is the consumers are generally less wealthy than the average plant-based alternative consumer in Western countries
Doesn’t feel as much of a ‘fancy’ ingredient vs beef or other expensive meats
Shrimp are less sympathetic animals :(
I’d be really excited for folks to work on this! I’m not sure if you think there are a few people on the ball already, or if basically no one is owning this right now?
Hi Angelina!
I agree: this seems like a potentially high-impact entrepreneurial opportunity and, although I’m not absolutely certain that nobody owns this project right now, I’m confident it’s under-explored/under-actioned.
Actually Shiok Meats is working on cultivated meat for shrimp. They’re a promising startup.
I feel much better hearing this! And I do actually agree with you. Thank you!
I would add that besides PB paste. Another option is to use CM shrimp tissues to make the pastes.
I strongly disagree with your statement. I have given reasons why this information is not only not important, but is actively deceiving people and encouraging them to act in immoral ways by incorrectly placing moral weight on invertebrates which are not evidenced to be of any moral value. Spreading this incorrect information is thus, in my view, actively harmful.
Erroneous information like this is diluting discussion and attention on valid issues, and harming our epistemological norms.
These arguments given in defense of the moral value of shrimp are insufficient:
For this information about the pain experience of shrimp to even be relevant, you must first argue that ability to feel pain necessitates having moral value. I strongly disagree with this point. I believe it is the social relations between thinking beings that is the basis of morality.