Spiny lobsters undertake remarkable mass migrations and possess sophisticated sensory abilities that raise important welfare questions for the fishing industry.
Spiny lobsters show clear avoidance responses to noxious stimuli and possess nociceptors throughout their bodies. The fishing industry typically captures them in traps where they may be held alive for extended periods under crowded, stressful conditions. Recent neurobiological evidence suggests lobsters experience something analogous to pain and distress, making handling and slaughter methods increasingly important welfare concerns.