Decapod crustaceans including crabs and lobsters show growing evidence of sentience and pain capacity. Regulatory recognition and welfare reform are beginning.
The welfare of decapod crustaceans represents one of the most rapidly evolving areas of animal welfare science. As recently as a decade ago, the scientific consensus largely dismissed crustacean sentience; current evidence, while not conclusive, supports a meaningful probability that these animals experience something aversive when exposed to noxious stimuli. Given the enormous numbers involved in global commercial fishing and aquaculture, and the severity of common killing methods (live boiling), the potential welfare burden is very large. The UK's legislative recognition of decapod sentience is a landmark development that is beginning to influence regulatory thinking globally. Welfare-improving alternatives to live boiling exist and are achievable in commercial contexts.