Crayfish welfare is increasingly recognized as a welfare concern given evidence of complex learning and stress responses, with implications for the pet trade and research use.
Crayfish welfare exists at the frontier of animal welfare science and policy. Recent research demonstrating anxiety-like behavioral states, complex learning, and stress physiology in crayfish provides scientific justification for welfare consideration that regulatory frameworks are beginning to acknowledge. The UK's Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 extended protections to decapod crustaceans following an independent review of the sentience evidence. The pet trade in crayfish and their use in research occur in a regulatory landscape that is rapidly evolving, creating a transition period where precautionary welfare principles are particularly important.