Crabs are increasingly recognised as sentient beings capable of experiencing pain, raising welfare questions about their handling and killing in commercial fisheries.
Crabs boiled alive experience acute thermal nociception before death. Dismembering crabs while alive, common in some commercial operations, causes prolonged suffering from injury to a neurologically active animal. Research by Elwood and colleagues demonstrates that crabs in pain reduce normal behaviour and avoid areas associated with painful stimuli. The Animal Sentience Act 2022 in the UK extended sentience recognition to decapod crustaceans, creating logical tension with continued lack of welfare protections in commercial fishing.