Crabs are subjected to live transport, crowded holding tanks, and inhumane killing methods, with growing evidence for their capacity to experience pain.
Traditional methods of killing crabs by pulling them apart while alive cause extended periods of nociceptor activation. Overcrowded live transport causes limb loss and crushing injuries. Stress during holding depletes energy reserves reducing immune function. Animals held without appropriate water temperature and salinity suffer physiological distress. Stunning before processing significantly reduces suffering time.