Growing evidence that crayfish experience pain and have complex behavioral repertoires is raising ethical questions about their treatment in aquaculture and live sale.
The scientific case for crayfish sentience has strengthened considerably over the past decade. Behavioral evidence of pain responses, combined with neural evidence of central sensitization, suggests that live boiling without stunning inflicts genuine suffering. Industrial crayfish farming and processing routinely ignores this growing evidence. The precautionary principle - extending welfare protections to animals that may be sentient - argues for improvements to crayfish handling and slaughter procedures.