Crabs are caught in enormous numbers by the fishing industry — their welfare is almost entirely unaddressed.
Crab welfare in commercial fishing is almost entirely unaddressed. Crabs are typically kept alive after capture — sometimes for days or weeks — before being boiled or processed. Evidence for decapod crustacean sentience has strengthened considerably, leading the UK to extend animal welfare protections to crabs and lobsters. Live boiling without prior stunning may cause significant pain. Electrical stunning methods provide a more humane alternative. The scale of commercial crab catches — hundreds of millions of individuals — means that welfare improvements in this sector would benefit an enormous number of animals.