Researchers from the University of Gothenburg have proven that painful stimuli are sent to the brain of shore crabs, providing evidence for pain in crustaceans. EEG style measurements show clear neural reactions in the crustacean's brain during mechanical or chemical stimulation.
In the search for a better welfare of animals that humans kill for food, researchers at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden chose to focus on decapod crustaceans. This includes shellfish delicacies such as prawns, lobsters, crabs and crayfish that we both catch wild and farm.
Currently, shellfish are not covered by animal welfare legislation in EU, but this might be about to change.
“We need to find less painful ways to kill shellfish if we are to continue eating them. Because now we have scientific evidence that they both experience and react to pain,” says Lynne Sneddon, zoophysiologist at the University of Gothenburg.
Several research groups have previously conducted observational studies on crustaceans where they have been subjected to mechanical impact, electric shocks or acids to soft tissues such as the antennae. These crustaceans have reacted by touching the exposed area or trying to avoid the danger in repeated experiments, leading researchers to assume that they feel pain.
