Edible and spider crabs are caught in massive numbers in UK fisheries. Their sentience evidence and welfare during capture, storage, and slaughter raises significant ethical questions.
Farmed and wild-caught crab welfare is at a critical regulatory juncture. The sentience legislation has been passed but welfare standards in crab fisheries and processing have not yet caught up. Live storage in overcrowded tanks causes chronic stress for animals whose evidence of pain processing is now considered sufficient for legal protection. Electrical stunning before processing is technically available and used by progressive operators. Scaling its adoption across the industry is the urgent welfare priority.