Sentience in decapod crustaceans:  A general framework and review of the evidence

Crump, Andrew; Browning, Heather; Schnell, Alex; Burn, Charlotte C.; Birch, Jonathan

doi:10.51291/2377-7478.1691

Cited by 74 publications

(64 citation statements)

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“…Hermit crabs have shown, for instance, that they are making state-based decisions on whether or not to leave their shell when receiving electric shocks, dependent upon both the predicted presence of predators and the shell value. Furthermore, in a recent extensive review that has led to decapod crustaceans being included in the animal sentience legislation in the UK, a wealth of data has been presented to support sentience in these creatures (Birch et al 2021; see also Crump et al 2022).…”

Section: Evaluative Experiencementioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a Comparative Study of Animal Consciousness

Veit

2022

Biol Theory

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In order to develop a true biological science of consciousness, we have to remove humans from the center of reference and develop a bottom-up comparative study of animal minds, as Donald Griffin intended with his call for a “cognitive ethology.” In this article, I make use of the pathological complexity thesis (Veit 2022a, b, c) to show that we can firmly ground a comparative study of animal consciousness by drawing on the resources of state-based behavioral life history theory. By comparing the different life histories of gastropods and arthropods, we will be able to make better sense of the possible origins of consciousness and its function for organisms in their natural environments.

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Section: Evaluative Experiencementioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a Comparative Study of Animal Consciousness

Veit

2022

Biol Theory

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“…Policymakers might use many candidate criteria. The DEFRA assessment of cephalopod and decapod sentience used a combination of neurological and behavioural criteria adapted and improved from [ 18 ], see also [ 19 ]. The SAWC assessment used a combination of neurobiological, behavioural and phylogenetic criteria.…”

Section: Essential Questions For Policymakers In Ascribing Sentiencementioning

confidence: 99%

Ascribing Sentience: Evidential and Ethical Considerations in Policymaking

Yeates¹

2022

Animals

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Deciding which animals are sentient is an important precursor for decisions about the application of animal welfare legislation, and the wider assessment of the impacts of policies on animal suffering. We ascribe sentience in order to inform decisions about how animals should be treated, and how their treatment should be regulated. This ascription is both an ethical and an evidential process, and what evidence to use and require are ethical questions. Policymakers, therefore, cannot simply rely on scientific evidence in an ethically neutral way, but must be conscious of the ethical assumptions and positions underlying the process of ascription and its application in policy and law. As such, ethical principles that apply to policymaking apply to the ascription of sentience. This paper considers the implications of the Nolan principles for public service on the ascription of animals.

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“…These data, however, have become increasingly important as awareness of decapod welfare has vastly increased, with multiple review articles emerging as a result [ 5 , 14 , 38 , 39 ]. Many of these reviews, the primary literature therein, and subsequent commentaries), e.g., [ 40 ] suggest the need for increased animal welfare protection for large crustaceans, e.g., [ 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]. Until recently, only the welfare of vertebrate species and cephalopods required animal care protocols when being used in scientific research in most western countries (e.g., Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, UK).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Animal Stocking Density and Habitat Enrichment on Survival and Vitality of Wild Green Shore Crabs, Carcinus maenas, Maintained in the Laboratory

Wilson

Wyeth

Spicer

et al. 2022

Animals

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The wide geographic distribution, large size and ease of capture has led to decapod crustaceans being used extensively in laboratory experiments. Recently in the United Kingdom decapod crustaceans were listed as sentient beings, resulting in their inclusion in animal care protocols. Ironically, little is known about how captive conditions affect the survival and general condition of wild decapod crustaceans. We used the green shore crab, Carcinus maenas, to investigate the effects of stocking density and shelter on survival and vitality indices during a 6 month period in the laboratory. Neither stocking density nor the presence of shelter affected survival. Stocking density also had no effect on the vitality indices (limb loss, claw strength, BRIX, righting time, leg flare and retraction). The presence of shelter did affect the number of limbs lost and the leg retraction response, but had no effect on the other vitality indices. All vitality indices changed, and mortality increased over time, independent of treatment: this became most apparent after 8 to 11 weeks storage in the laboratory. This decline in condition may have been due to repeated handling of the crabs, rather than the stocking conditions. In support of this, untracked, non-handled (control) individuals sustained a 4% mortality rate compared with 67% mortality in experimental crabs during the 6 month period. Although simple experimental monitoring of crabs with biweekly vitality tests only produced transient short-term stress events, the repeated handling over time apparently led to a cumulative stress and a deterioration in animal health. Bringing wild crustaceans into the laboratory and holding them, even with modest experimental manipulation, may result in high mortality rates. Researchers and animal care committees need to be aware that wild captive invertebrates will respond very differently to laboratory-bred vertebrates, and plan experiments accordingly.

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Sentience in decapod crustaceans: A general framework and review of the evidence

Cited by 74 publications

References 0 publications

Towards a Comparative Study of Animal Consciousness

Towards a Comparative Study of Animal Consciousness

Ascribing Sentience: Evidential and Ethical Considerations in Policymaking

Effect of Animal Stocking Density and Habitat Enrichment on Survival and Vitality of Wild Green Shore Crabs, Carcinus maenas, Maintained in the Laboratory

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