Scientists call for a ban on boiling alive as new research confirms lobsters feel pain

A new study of Norwegian lobsters adds to a growing body of evidence that these crustaceans feel pain, something scientists have long wondered about and even inspired David Foster Wallace’s famous 2004 essay, “Thinking about Lobster.”

In a study published April 13 in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers found that aspirin and lidocaine, two drugs used for pain relief in humans, significantly reduced the escape response of Norwegian lobsters (Nephrops Norvegicus) when subjected to electric shocks. The researchers argue that the drug impairs the animals’ ability to process pain, so the tail flipping is a pain reflex rather than a simple stress response.

The research team says the findings suggest that lobsters should be given more ethical consideration.

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“The fact that a painkiller developed for humans also works on Norwegian lobsters shows how similar our functions are,” Lynn Sneddon, professor of animal physiology at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said in a statement. “That’s why it’s important to be careful about how you treat and kill shellfish, just like you would with chickens or cows.”

Several regions, including Norway, New Zealand, Austria and parts of Australia, already ban the boiling of live shellfish for welfare reasons, and the new findings could put pressure on broader reforms to how these animals are treated and killed.

Similar legislation has been proposed in the UK, where industry and researchers are considering electro-stunning lobsters and crabs as a more humane alternative to boiling them alive.

shockingly painful

To understand how lobsters respond to painful stimuli, researchers divided 105 Norwegian lobsters into groups. These included several control groups of lobsters that were not shocked and two shock groups that were treated with either lidocaine or aspirin. Lidocaine was dissolved in individual lobster tanks, and aspirin was injected directly into the animals.

The researchers then administered a 10-second electric shock of 9.09 volts per meter to the three shock groups and observed their behavior before, during, and up to two hours after the shock.

The shocked lobster attempted to escape using a tail flip, an escape behavior common among some crustaceans in which they make small, quick leaps to escape danger. Tail flipping was only seen in the electroshocked group of lobsters and not in the control group.

However, when animals were given lidocaine or aspirin before being shocked, tail flipping rates dropped sharply. Only 7 of 13 lobsters treated with lidocaine and 3 of 13 lobsters treated with aspirin flipped their tails, with a more severe reaction seen in the untreated group.

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The researchers said their results suggest that the electric shock not only caused the lobster’s muscles to contract, but also caused a painful experience. This is because analgesics cannot be expected to be effective in suppressing tail flips if the behavior is simply electrically stimulated.

Instead, analgesic treatment reduced escape behavior. This finding led the researchers to suggest that tail flips may have a neurological component known as nociception. This is when signals from parts of the body that have been exposed to noxious stimuli are transmitted to the brain, triggering negative internal states associated with pain.

add more evidence

This study joins a growing body of research showing that crabs, octopuses, and other invertebrates can experience pain. In past studies, hermit crabs that were shocked within their shells eventually abandoned their homes to avoid painful stimuli.

Octopuses showed even more powerful clues about pain processing. In one widely cited study, they avoided locations associated with injury and preferred locations associated with pain relief.

This evidence is slowly beginning to change policies regarding the treatment of these animals. In the UK, crabs, lobsters and octopuses are currently recognized as intelligent animals “capable of experiencing pain and suffering” under the Animal Welfare Act 2022. New Zealand also has welfare regulations for animals such as crabs, crayfish and rock lobsters, requiring animals to be “numb” before being commercially slaughtered.

The United States may be gradually following suit. Several states, including California and Washington, have taken their own measures to completely ban octopus farming, citing inhumane practices, and others are considering passing similar laws.

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