Aquatic invertebrates including cephalopods and decapods are increasingly used in research - emerging evidence for their sentience creates welfare obligations that research frameworks must address.
Aquatic invertebrate research welfare is at a critical juncture where evidence has outpaced regulation. EU cephalopod protections represent a significant welfare advance based on evidence of sentience. Decapod crustaceans showing comparable evidence remain unprotected in most research frameworks, creating an inconsistency that welfare advocates rightly challenge. The welfare principle that animals potentially capable of suffering deserve protection regardless of regulatory status provides guidance for researchers who wish to apply welfare standards beyond minimum requirements. Supporting regulatory extension to include crustaceans and continued research into other potentially sentient invertebrates are high-impact welfare advocacy priorities.