Although the Swedish law states that animals kept in captivity must be treated well, protected from unnecessary suffering and kept in a suitable environment that promotes their welfare and natural behaviour, we treat crayfish, lobsters and crabs in a completely different way.
Anyone familiar with our animal welfare laws who has also visited a fish auction cannot have failed to notice how the regulations are systematically flouted – with the authorities’ full knowledge. When it comes to the welfare of marine life, both the responsible authorities and industry players seem to turn a blind eye.
The research is now clear: crayfish, lobsters and crabs are subjected to significant stress and pain in the process from catch to plate.
Yet tradition and custom seem to carry more weight than laws and regulations, and the researchers’ uncomfortable truths remain just as unheard as the romanticised shellfish are silent as they are crammed into overcrowded tanks awaiting the boiling pot.
