Lobster cruelty fine prompts debate over whether crustaceans feel pain
A SYDNEY seafood shop’s strife over killing a lobster incorrectly has prompted experts to say there is no straight answer to whether crustaceans feel pain.
NSW
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A SYDNEY seafood shop’s strife over killing a lobster incorrectly has prompted experts to say there is no straight answer to whether crustaceans feel pain.
While lobsters — which can shed a leg to hide from prey — respond to heat and touch, there is no straight answer to whether they feel pain.
Nicholas Seafood at the Sydney Fish Markets in Glebe was slammed with a $1500 fine at Sydney Downing Centre court on Wednesday after the business was charged by the RSPCA with an act of animal cruelty.
This matter was the first crustacean conviction for the RSPCA in NSW.
The RSPCA fined the store after a witness filmed a worker on January 25 carving up the lobster without stunning it, as guidelines stipulate.
The video shows the lobster struggling after its tail is cut off before being put through a band saw about 20 seconds later.
RSPCA Inspector Tyson Hohlein attended the premises and said the staff member was unaware of correct procedures.
“We were told it was an isolated incident and the staff member was not aware of correct procedures to euthanise.”
The company pleaded guilty and was fined $1500 and a conviction has been recorded.
Tasmanian Rock Lobster Fisherman’s Association executive officer John Sansom said there was no conclusive proof that the creatures feel pain.
“There is conflicting evidence and we take the view that people do follow the code of practice,” he said.
Wildcatch Fisheries president Jonas Woolford said fining was over the top and research on whether lobster’s felt pain was not definitive.
“I think educating is a better path rather than just fining someone,” he said.
Professional Fishermens association executive officer Tricia Beatty said the incident “upset” lobster fisherman who went to great lengths to keep the lobsters in a “stress-free environment” on the way to market.
“We spend a fortune making sure we’ve got a stress-free environment for the lobster so it’s disappointing to hear that certain seafood processes haven’t abided by the guidelines.”
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