Freshwater crayfish are farmed in increasing volumes; growing evidence for crustacean sentience raises welfare questions for this emerging aquaculture sector.
Crayfish welfare occupies the same scientifically uncertain but morally precautionary space as other decapod crustaceans. Evidence for nociceptive capacity and stress responses is accumulating, though certainty about conscious experience remains elusive. At the production scale of hundreds of thousands of tonnes annually, even modest welfare improvements — reducing density-related aggression, improving slaughter methods, and minimizing live transport stress — would benefit vast numbers of individuals. Precautionary welfare standards for crayfish production, aligned with those being developed for other decapods, represent the most defensible regulatory approach given current evidence.