The UK's recognition of decapod crustacean sentience in the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 was a historic step - implementation across fisheries and aquaculture is now the challenge.
The inclusion of decapods in UK sentience legislation is a landmark welfare achievement but recognition without implementation is inadequate. The next step - mandatory humane slaughter standards for lobsters and crabs - is achievable (electrical stunning systems exist) but has not yet been enacted. The welfare gap between legal sentience recognition and actual treatment of decapods in fisheries and restaurants is large. Consumer behaviour change (avoiding live boiling, choosing humanely killed products), restaurant industry engagement, and policy advocacy for mandatory stunning requirements are all needed to translate sentience recognition into welfare improvement.