It's Inhumane to Boil Lobster

Lobsters may not scream in the pot, but they certainly feel pain when boiled alive, scientists say. New research on Norway lobsters found that human painkillers—aspirin and lidocaine—sharply reduced the crustaceans' frantic tail-flip escape responses when they were electrically shocked, suggesting the animals weren't just reacting to muscle stimulation but instead experiencing pain, Live Science reports. The study, published in Scientific Reports, adds to mounting evidence that lobsters, crabs, and octopuses can suffer—and to calls to extend to them the kind of welfare protections already given to vertebrates.

"Based on scientific evidence, it is not humane to boil crustaceans alive," says study co-author Lynne Sneddon of the University of Gothenburg, adding "we would never accept boiling a cow or chicken alive," per the New York Post. Several countries, including Norway, New Zealand, and Austria, already prohibit boiling live crustaceans, and the UK—which now recognizes crabs, lobsters, and octopuses as "capable of experiencing pain and suffering" under its Animal Welfare Act—is considering similar legislation. With researchers now investigating electrical stunning as an alternative to boiling, the new findings may increase pressure for similar reforms elsewhere.