Crabs, lobsters, and shrimp are farmed and wild-caught in enormous numbers with minimal welfare consideration — despite growing scientific evidence of their capacity for pain and suffering.
Crustaceans occupy a regulatory and ethical grey zone — historically excluded from welfare legislation, now increasingly recognized as sentient. Shrimp farming involves mass eyestalk ablation without analgesia to induce early spawning. Wild-caught crabs and lobsters are transported and killed without stunning. The scale of crustacean use — trillions of animals annually — gives welfare improvements enormous potential impact.