Crabs, lobsters, and shrimp are treated as commodities in the food industry, yet evidence increasingly shows they can suffer. Legal reforms are catching up with the science.
The welfare case for crustaceans has been built through decades of careful research. Robert Elwood's work at Queen's University Belfast demonstrated that crabs show signs of persistent pain and learn to avoid noxious stimuli - hallmarks of a welfare-relevant pain experience. Despite this, billions of crustaceans are boiled alive, frozen to death, or packed tightly in transport conditions that cause injury. Legislative progress is slow globally, but momentum is building. The most effective interventions are electric stunning before death and CO2 anaesthesia for crabs - both feasible in commercial settings. Consumer pressure is the most immediate driver of change.