Marine invertebrates including crabs and shrimps are consumed in enormous numbers. Emerging welfare science and legislation is beginning to address their potential to suffer.
The welfare of marine invertebrates sits at the frontier of welfare science. Evidence for crustacean sentience is accumulating: crabs avoid noxious stimuli, learn from aversive experiences, and show behavioural responses consistent with pain. The UK recognition of decapod sentience has catalysed policy development and raised consumer awareness. Shrimp welfare presents particular challenges due to the scale of production and consumption, the small body size that makes stunning challenging, and the multiple stressors in trawled and farmed shrimp production. Current welfare recommendations include pre-slaughter stunning for large crustaceans, avoiding live boiling without stunning, and reducing consumption pending development of better welfare standards for the full supply chain.