Crabs, lobsters and other aquatic invertebrates are increasingly recognized as sentient beings whose welfare is inadequately protected in commercial fisheries and the seafood trade.
The recognition of decapod crustacean sentience in UK law has not yet translated into mandatory welfare standards for their killing in the food trade. Live boiling remains common despite evidence that it causes prolonged suffering. Humane killing methods — electrical stunning or mechanical destruction of the brain — are technically straightforward and widely available. The challenge is industry adoption and consumer awareness. The welfare of billions of crustaceans killed annually in commercial fisheries depends on widespread adoption of better killing methods combined with enforcement of welfare standards as they develop.