Scientific evidence has increasingly supported the likelihood of pain experience in decapod crustaceans, driving regulatory and practice changes in their handling and slaughter.
The welfare implications of decapod crustacean sentience are substantial given the scale of commercial and domestic use. Live boiling, a common practice in kitchens worldwide, subjects animals to prolonged thermal stress if they experience pain. The evidence that they do is now sufficient to meet scientific standards for precautionary welfare protection. Electrical stunners designed for crustaceans are available commercially and render animals insensible rapidly. Crushing the brain ganglia immediately before cooking is another rapid method. The welfare case for change does not require certainty about subjective experience — the precautionary approach recognizes that the cost of preventing potential suffering is low while the potential welfare benefit of doing so is high if experience is present.