Boiling Shellfish, Crabs, Lobsters and other sea creatures alive: should it be banned? - General

Hi, so this is basically as the title says, should such atrocious acts be banned? I've heard that at some restaurants and such, they actually boil sea creatures like lobsters alive, and i'm quite surprised why doing such an act hasn't been banned yet, seeing as it's animal abuse at it's worst. I'd like to hear your opinion on it, should it be banned, if so, why? If it shouldn't be banned, why not?

I never knew it was not normal to boil lobster and shellfish alive. Since my family have always been doing that.

If I remember correctly, boiling a lobster will kill it instantly. It's actually fairly humane.

Not only does it pretty much instantly kill them, but their nervous systems are so primitive they really don't feel anything.

[QUOTE=Snuffy;32785421]If I remember correctly, boiling a lobster will kill it instantly. It's actually fairly humane.[/QUOTE] I believe it's because, from what I've been told, they don't just plop it in boiling water. They put it in a pot and slowly raise the temperature so the body of the lobster doesn't recognize it and acclimates until it passes out. Same way we can acclimate to rising temps in a jacuzzi then get out and wonder how you were sitting in 104 degree water.

There isn't really much of a problem if they are killed instantly/painlessly and can be kept rather fresh due to this.

I didn't know that they were killed instantly, i had heard that they'd scream while being boiled, but apparently that was just hot air escaping.

Did you really think that they could scream? They don't have the capability to vocalize sounds.

The "screaming" is actually air being released from the carapace. Kindest way to do it that I am aware of is to chuck them into the freezer for 30 mins or so beforehand. Lobsters will then be knocked out due to it - kind of like a very heavy anaesthetic. Then chuck them straight into boiling water. They should not feel any undue pain that way. I'm still kind of squeamish at the idea of boiling water, but my dad dives and frequently comes back with a lobster, and he knows full well that I wouldn't talk to him for a month if I suspected deliberate animal cruelty.

No, they die nearly instantly. The only person who'd think this was animal abuse is some dumber than shit PETA member who doesn't shower because they need to save water for the fish to live in.

[QUOTE=LordCrypto;32785630]Did you really think that they could scream? They don't have the capability to vocalize sounds.[/QUOTE] Avatar has probably never fit so well. :v: Anyway, i don't know too much about lobsters, but what about crabs or shellfish, are they in agony when they are boiled alive? [editline]14th October 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=The one that is;32785672]No, they die nearly instantly. The only person who'd think this was animal abuse is some dumber than shit PETA member who doesn't shower because they need to save water for the fish to live in.[/QUOTE] I was mistaken, i thought it was animal abuse, and don't think i'm one of those die-hard PETA members, i would like to stop animal abuse but the methods PETA use are just wrong.

It should be allowed. I don't value the lives of lobsters very high. They are very stupid and probably don't understand anything of what's going on.

[QUOTE=Rad McCool;32785752]It should be allowed. I don't value the lives of lobsters very high. They are very stupid and probably don't understand anything of what's going on.[/QUOTE] Err, lobsters are relatively clever, just not up to the scale of octopus, squid or dolphin.

And, isn't there actually a health-risk related reason for doing so? Something to do with toxicity of the flesh if they die in any other way that isn't them being cooked at the same time? I can't really remember.

Well if they're selfish I think they deserve it.

[QUOTE=Terminutter;32785825]Err, lobsters are relatively clever, just not up to the scale of octopus, squid or dolphin.[/QUOTE] Relative to us, which is my chosen point of reference, they are stupid as fuck.

Actually they cool the lobsters in a fridge where they enter into a dormant state, so they're not awake when put into the water, plus the water kills them almost instantly.

If you drop them into a pot of boiling water it will be fairly quick and painless. Though having kept, breed, and observed crayfish for about 5 years now, I myself could not do it. [editline]14th October 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Hoboharry;32785547]I didn't know that they were killed instantly, i had heard that they'd scream while being boiled, but apparently that was just hot air escaping.[/QUOTE] They do not possess lungs or vocal chords and therefore cannot scream.

[QUOTE=Capitulazyguy;32785933]Well if they're selfish I think they deserve it.[/QUOTE] ba da bum tisch

[QUOTE=Rad McCool;32785752]It should be allowed. I don't value the lives of lobsters very high. They are very stupid and probably don't understand anything of what's going on.[/QUOTE] lack of higher intelligence doesn't somehow exclude something from being able to feel pain

[QUOTE=Hoboharry;32785687]Avatar has probably never fit so well. :v: Anyway, i don't know too much about lobsters, but what about crabs or shellfish, are they in agony when they are boiled alive? [/QUOTE] The question as to whether or not the feel pain is a tough one. I find it best to assume that it does and treat it as humanely as possible. Many sea creatures like goldfish where people assumed they only have 3 second memories and don't feel pain were completely wrong. Fish do feel pain and are fairly smart depending on the species. I've seen crayfish fight, I've seen one get half of it's legs cut off and gills pulled out from under it's carapace by one of it's brothers. You can't really tell if they're in pain or not because they just sit there. One of the common indicators that something is in pain is vocalization. The agonizing screams of a wounded animal tell us that it's in pain, but most sea life cannot do that. They just kinda sit there. So we assume that they don't. However, I know for a fact that they sense touch. It's really hard to sneak up on one. When one crayfish steaks up on another, it usually responds with fight or flight type response. (or sometimes both). They will pump their tails causing them to "fly" out of the intimidate area. So they can clearly feel, but do they feel pain? I honestly don't know. That question has brought up a lot of debate. Do they have the appropriate receptors for pain? Is pain just the over stimulation of touch? Like I said earlier, it's just better to assume they do and treat them to a humane death. [editline]14th October 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Rad McCool;32785752]It should be allowed. I don't value the lives of lobsters very high. They are very stupid and probably don't understand anything of what's going on.[/QUOTE] They aren't that stupid. They're not stupid by any means. They're fairly intelligent for what they got to work with biologically.

It should be allowed because they are delicious.

No. We kill cows while they are alive, we kill chickens while they are alive. Almost everything is alive before it is killed so there should be no difference.

[QUOTE=Shiftyze;32786378]No. We kill cows while they are alive, we kill chickens while they are alive. Almost everything is alive before it is killed so there should be no difference.[/QUOTE] To "kill" something, it kind of [I]does[/I] need to be alive :v:

[QUOTE=Shiftyze;32786378]Almost everything is alive before it is killed[/QUOTE] lol

I like how this is the Mass Debate section, and we're talking about something Hitler banned soon after he came to power.

[QUOTE=Shiftyze;32786378]No. We kill cows while they are alive, we kill chickens while they are alive. Almost everything is alive before it is killed so there should be no difference.[/QUOTE] Um. What?

[QUOTE=Cheesedragon;32786427]I like how this is the Mass Debate section, and we're talking about something Hitler banned soon after he came to power.[/QUOTE] Hitler banned boiling lobsters?

[QUOTE=OvB;32786234]They aren't that stupid. They're not stupid by any means. They're fairly intelligent for what they got to work with biologically.[/QUOTE] They dumbest human in existence would outsmart the smartest lobster any day any time. No contest. They are much much dumber than us. And I personally value species based on their intelligence and their looks, i.e torturing a lobster is not as bad as torturing a cat, dog, or a human. But that's just me.

No, they're delicious.