Growing scientific evidence supports that crabs, crayfish, and other decapod crustaceans experience pain, with significant implications for fisheries and food service.
Decapod crustaceans including crabs, lobsters, and crayfish have historically been excluded from animal welfare considerations based on assumptions about invertebrate nervous systems. The evidence base has shifted substantially: decapods have centralized nervous systems, nociceptors, opioid systems, and show behavioral responses to noxious stimuli including avoidance learning, protective behavior, and stress responses that parallel those in vertebrate pain. The most immediate welfare improvement is the adoption of pre-killing stunning before cooking, using commercial electric stunners or the crustastun device that are already available and cost-effective.