Lobsters and crabs can feel pain and take action to avoid it happening again
- Findings could have implications on food industry which allows chefs to boil crabs, lobsters and prawns alive
Chefs may have to think twice before plunging live lobsters into a simmering pot.
Scientists have proven that crabs and other crustaceans do feel pain, and are able to recall an unpleasant experience and take action to avoid it happening again.
Research has shown that when shore crabs are given small electric shocks while hiding in dark shelters, they try to escape being zapped again by opting to migrate to another hideout.
Research found that shore crabs (pictured) felt pain when they were given small electric shocks
Other studies carried out at Queen's University Belfast on hermit crabs and prawns also found that the sea creatures experienced signs of pain.
The finding could have important implications for the food industry, where many chefs boil crabs, lobsters and prawns alive in the belief that they are impervious to pain.
Worse still, many seafood suppliers simply rip off the legs or abdomens of live animals to keep for sale, while throwing the less valuable parts back into the sea.
Lead researcher Professor Bob Elwood, said: 'The experiments show it is likely they experience pain, rather than flinching, and therefore we must start to question how these animals are treated.
Many seafood suppliers simply rip off the legs or abdomens of live animals to keep for sale, while throwing the less valuable parts back into the sea
'In the food industry around the world, billions of crustaceans are used each year but are regarded as not being able to suffer. They suffer extreme treatments which would not be allowed in the fishing or farming industries.
'More consideration of the treatment of these animals is needed as a potentially very large problem is being ignored.' The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, showed that shore crabs are willing to trade something of value to them - in this case a dark shelter - to avoid future electric shocks.
Explaining how the experiment worked, Professor Elwood said 90 crabs were placed in a tank with two hideouts.
Half were given mild shocks, and left their shelter. The crabs were then removed from the tanks and after some rest time, they were returned to the tank.
The majority returned to the same shelter and were shocked again. But on being returned to the tank for a third time, the crabs avoided the hideout where they were shocked.
Professor Elwood said: 'When introduced to the tank for the third time, however, the vast majority of shocked crabs now went to the alternative safe shelter. Those not shocked continued to use their preferred shelter.
'Having experienced two rounds of shocks, the crabs learned to avoid the shelter where they received the shock. They were willing to give up their hideaway in order to avoid the source of their probable pain.'