Dungeness crab is a major commercial species on the US Pacific coast, with handling, transport, and processing methods carrying significant welfare implications for this sentient crustacean.
Dungeness crabs are boiled alive in commercial operations without pre-stunning, a practice that causes a prolonged period of nociceptive response before death. Transport in cold conditions without water immersion causes osmotic stress. The evidence for crustacean sentience is sufficient to warrant precautionary welfare protections. Switzerland and New Zealand require crustacean stunning before killing.