Why Decapod Crustaceans Deserve Our Attention
Did you know that lobsters can recognise individuals and that crabs can exhibit complex social behaviours and hierarchies? Yet when you bring up the concept of decapod crustacean welfare, most people will give you a puzzled look. A long-standing cultural belief that animals like crabs, lobsters and prawns are incapable of feelings has conditioned society to disregard their welfare. However, studies provide compelling evidence that crustaceans possess the neurological and behavioural characteristics indicative of pain perception and processing similar to vertebrates.
The recognition of decapod welfare has been reflected in recent legislative changes in the UK with the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022, which explicitly includes decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs (such as octopuses and squids) as sentient beings. This legal recognition aligns with the increasing scientific consensus that these animals can experience suffering and thus should be protected from inhumane treatment. Despite this, they remain excluded from the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and research by Crustacean Compassion continues to demonstrate that, where laws do exist to protect their welfare, they are poorly enforced and inhumane practices such as eyestalk removal and declawing are commonly carried out.
If similar care conditions were imposed on other sentient species used for food (such as pigs and sheep), there would be widespread public outcry. There is scientific evidence to suggest that humans tend to empathise and give more consideration to others who are perceived to be similar to themselves, known as the "similarity principle". Aesthetics, anthropomorphism and speciesism all contribute to crustaceans not receiving the care they humanely deserve, despite being recognised as sentient animals who feel pain. In many instances this is exhibited by a complete disregard for their lives.
So, why do they deserve our attention?
The primary reason lies in their sentient capabilities. Sentience put simply, is the capacity to feel emotions such as pain, fear, contentment and joy. It is not dependent on size or perceived intelligence of an animal, and if considered sentient, an animal has the capacity to suffer. Since crustaceans have been shown to experience pain in a manner analogous to mammals, their welfare must be given equal consideration. Ethically, if animals have the capacity to suffer, that suffering should be minimised regardless of the species, and we have a moral duty to avoid unnecessary harm to them. Concurrently, by ensuring that crustaceans are treated humanely, we would maintain consistency in our animal welfare laws and policies. Weak enforcement of laws such as WATOK (Welfare of Animals at Time of Killing) for crustaceans, undermines the integrity and credibility of such regulations that are meant to protect from animals from suffering.
Minimising harm is the least we can do for those animals that we use in food production. Crustaceans exhibit a level of sentience and cognitive complexity that merits serious consideration in how they are handled and treated. Common practices in the seafood industry, such as storing lobsters in cramped conditions or boiling crabs alive cause significant suffering.
Applying compassionate practices that align with scientific evidence and our broader societal values against cruelty and inhumane treatment is paramount.
The welfare of decapod crustaceans is an emerging issue that highlights the evolving understanding of animal sentience and the ethical implications of our treatment of animals. With scientific evidence showing that crustaceans can experience pain and suffering, and the UK government recognising their sentience, it is imperative to consider their welfare on par with that of mammals.
If we do this, we uphold a consistent and ethically sound approach to animal welfare, ensuring that ALL sentient beings are treated with the respect and care they deserve.
Georgina Groves is Chair of Crustacean Compassion and a freelance animal welfare consultant specialising in captive wildlife welfare.
Georgina has worked in animal welfare for over two decades and for the past 15 years her work has predominantly centred on the welfare of captive wild animals. Co-founder and previous Executive Director of the international charity Wild Welfare, her focus has been on applying tangible change in geographical regions and within institutions that lack welfare practices, policies and standards for animals. hrough this work, she has supported the delivery of international legal and policy analysis, working closely with international governmental bodies and key policy stakeholders, to support legal reforms for the protection of captive wild animals. Through her consultancy work she has continued to focus on international industry and legal welfare reform for captive wildlife, with a particular interest in animal welfare in Japan.
I find your analysis of the changing dynamics around environmental activism quite insightful. The rise and fall of support for different groups reflect broader shifts in snake game societal priorities.