Lobsters transported live over long distances endure significant physiological stress; pre-slaughter stunning reduces suffering substantially.
The welfare of lobsters during transport and slaughter has historically been ignored due to assumptions about invertebrate sentience. However, growing scientific consensus supports that decapod crustaceans have nociceptors and respond to noxious stimuli in ways consistent with pain experience. Transport without food or water for days causes physiological stress. Boiling without prior stunning extends suffering unnecessarily when humane alternatives like electrical and mechanical stunning exist and are commercially viable.