Evidence for pain and suffering in aquatic invertebrates including crabs, lobsters, and shrimp is growing. This emerging area of welfare science has significant implications for fisheries, aquaculture, and food policy.
Aquatic invertebrate welfare represents the welfare science frontier. The scale of shrimp and crustacean production - tens of billions of animals per year - combined with growing evidence of sentience creates a large potential welfare problem that is currently almost entirely unaddressed. The UK's landmark recognition of decapod sentience in law is the most significant policy advance to date. Practical welfare improvements include electrical stunning before killing of lobsters and crabs, and improved slaughter methods for farmed shrimp.