Shellfish
great pain for the sake of taste
If we truly believe in compassion and justice, it must not stop at animal species we can cuddle. We must dare to talk about the conditions of animals we never really see eye to eye with – even if they do not outwardly resemble us. Read how you can make a difference.
Every day, millions of shellfish are killed. Shrimps, lobsters, and crabs suffer, trapped in a system where their lives are worth nothing beyond the money we make from them. They cannot speak up. But that does not mean they do not feel. It just means we do not listen. We should change that.
Why should we talk about shellfish?
We often call them shellfish when they are on our plates, but this is actually a gastronomic term that hides their true nature. Biologically speaking, they are crustaceans, and we owe it to them to call them by their proper name—especially when it comes to their social and inner lives and their place on Earth as living beings.
Here at Dyrenes Alliance , we do not believe that crustaceans can be reduced to "seafood. " They are living, sentient individuals with a nervous system that enables them to feel pain—just like us. Yet we mistreat them by the billions solely for the sake of taste. And that is why we should talk about crustaceans.
Frequently asked questions
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Crustaceans are sea creatures with hard shells and include shrimp, lobsters, crabs, crayfish, mussels, oysters, and crayfish.
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Yes. Several studies show that many crustaceans have nervous systems and receptors that enable them to experience pain, fear, and stress.
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Crustaceans are considered "delicacies" (known as shellfish) in many cultures. They are also considered an economically important "export commodity," especially in the EU and Asia.
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They are caught using bottom trawls, pots, or nets, often in ways that damage the marine environment and cause high bycatch.
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Most crustaceans—especially lobsters and crabs—are boiled alive. They are rarely stunned, and the practice is still legal in Denmark.
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Yes! There are plant-based alternatives to shrimp, lobster, and mussels—and they are getting better and more accessible all the time.
How we fish for crustaceans
Most crustaceans are caught using bottom trawling, a destructive fishing method in which heavy nets scrape the seabed and destroy ecosystems in their path. All life on the seabed—desired or not—is pulled up and sorted later. And by then, the damage to the marine environment is already irreparable.
It is an incredibly violent way to be caught, but even worse conditions await once the animals reach land: crammed together in nets and boxes with ice, slowly suffocating or boiled alive (!) without any form of anesthesia. All of this would be illegal if it happened to mammals. But crustaceans are apparently an "exception."
Shrimp – billions of deaths we are unaware of
Shrimp fishing is one of the most destructive and deadly industries on the planet. For every kilogram of shrimp caught in tropical waters, up to 10 kilograms of bycatch is killed—this can include sea turtles, fish, corals, and much more marine life.
In aquaculture, shrimp are kept in extremely crowded tanks, where disease, stress, and antibiotic abuse are the norm. Yet they are served as a "delicacy."
Lobsters – boiled to death while fully conscious
Imagine being thrown alive into boiling water. That's the reality for lobsters in kitchens everywhere. And yes, they feel it.
Research shows that lobsters, crabs, and octopuses have the ability to feel pain and should be covered by animal welfare legislation. Yet we still allow them to be boiled alive.
In countries such as Switzerland, Norway, and Austria, this practice is illegal, but in Denmark it takes place every single day.
Octopuses – intelligent creatures, considered a "luxury food"
Octopuses are not just "fish" with lots of arms. They have advanced nervous systems, complex brains, and the ability to feel pain. Yet new farms are opening to ensure a steady supply of octopus as an "exotic delicacy."
In the UK, octopuses are now officially recognized as sentient beings, but in practice they are still killed without anesthesia. In Denmark, they lack any form of legal protection—they can be cut open, frozen alive, or slowly suffocated while we look the other way.
How can we solve this problem most easily?
With increasing focus on animal welfare, research has been conducted in recent years into methods of stunning crustaceans. Among the most widely discussed is electrical stunning, in which animals such as shrimp, lobsters, and crabs are subjected to an electric shock to render them unconscious before slaughter.
Although certain companies claim that stunning is the solution, the reality is that the technology is either not used in practice because it is too expensive, or it does not completely eliminate suffering. Worse still, it normalizes the idea that it is okay to kill animals as long as it is done "humanely."
But there is a solution that does not require the development of new technology. It can be found on our plates: in a plant-based diet. By choosing a vegan lifestyle, we completely eliminate the need to stun and kill sentient beings such as crustaceans. It is not enough to improve slaughter methods—we must change our view of who we consider to be food.
You can help us help crustaceans
With our vegan ethics, we insist that all sentient beings have intrinsic value. The lives of crustaceans are no less valuable simply because they live beneath the surface of the ocean and do not resemble us. Unfortunately, their suffering is not an isolated example of animals suffering for the sake of humans. It is time we expanded our empathy and left the creatures of the sea in peace.
But it's not about perfection. It's about taking a stand. When we choose what we eat, we also choose what we support. See here how you can help our work at Dyrenes Alliance: