Norway Lobster: Welfare in European Fisheries and Aquaculture

Key Welfare Facts

Norway lobsters are commercially important crustaceans harvested by trawl in UK and European waters.
Trawl capture causes significant stress, injury, and mortality from physical trauma and pressure changes.
Sentience evidence for decapod crustaceans is now sufficiently supported to require welfare consideration.
Live holding in creel vessels before processing causes stress from crowding, temperature change, and air exposure.
Electrical stunning before boiling is being trialled and adopted by some premium processors.
Norway lobster aquaculture is at early research stage; welfare standards need to be built in from the beginning.

Welfare Assessment

Norway lobster welfare requires action both in fisheries and emerging aquaculture contexts. Supporting electrical stunning adoption in processing and creel fisheries over destructive trawling advances welfare for this commercially important crustacean.

What You Can Do

Choose creel-caught over trawl-caught langoustine products for lower capture welfare impact
Support adoption of electrical stunning before cooking in commercial langoustine processing
Advocate for crustacean welfare to be incorporated in seafood certification schemes
Engage with premium langoustine suppliers about their welfare protocols