The UK Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 recognised decapod crustaceans including lobsters as sentient beings capable of experiencing pain and suffering, with significant implications for their welfare in aquaculture and fisheries.
Boiling live lobsters is strongly argued to cause significant pain based on their nociceptor responses and behavioural avoidance. Electric stunning using devices such as CrustaStun renders lobsters unconscious in under 0.3 seconds and provides a more humane alternative. Live storage in tanks before slaughter involves chronic stress from unfamiliar environments and crowding. Lobsters in vivier tanks with poor water quality experience respiratory distress. The recognition of lobster sentience creates a legal and ethical imperative to improve slaughter and handling methods.