Soft-shell crabs are blue crabs harvested immediately after moulting when their shells are still pliable, with welfare concerns around moulting induction, live holding, and live processing.
Blue crabs are decapod crustaceans whose sentience is increasingly recognised in scientific literature. Confinement in shedding tanks at high density causes territorial stress and limb damage from aggression. Moulting is physiologically demanding — crabs in moult are highly vulnerable and easily injured. Processing live crabs by cutting or cleaning while alive causes pain responses consistent with nociception. Chilling before processing reduces but may not eliminate welfare harms. The live cooking of soft-shell crabs — common in high-end restaurants — raises the same concerns as live boiling of lobsters.