A decade of decapod protection:
Join us in celebrating 10 years of Crustacean Compassion
2026 marks 10 years since Crustacean Compassion stepped up to be a voice for decapod crustaceans. We’ve had one goal from the beginning: to transform the way crabs, lobsters, prawns and crayfish are treated by humans. We’ve held fast in the belief that these animals deserve to be treated with respect and kindness.
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What began as a response to a shocking discovery in a London shop has grown into a globally recognised movement for compassionate, evidence-based protection. Over the last decade, we have made groundbreaking progress in the safeguarding of some of the most overlooked animals in society.
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To celebrate this significant milestone, we want to take you back to the very beginning and dive into some of our proudest achievements.
From one disturbing discovery to an international movement
In 2016, a group of dedicated volunteers banded together to advocate for the humane treatment of crustaceans, after they discovered that live crabs were being sold, immobilised in shrink wrap, on shelves in a London shop. This is something that no animal, large or small, should be subjected to.
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They championed what was already known by scientists - that crustaceans are sentient. They can feel fear, pain, and pleasure.
An open letter was sent to the then Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Michael Gove, in 2017. This swiftly gained support from over 55 experts and celebrity advocates, including naturalist Chris Packman and comedian Bill Bailey.
By 2018, the petition had gained more than 40,000 signatures. This advocacy played a key role in the UK Government commissioning a landmark scientific review by the London School of Economics in 2020.
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All this campaigning ultimately led to the UK officially include decapod crustaceans in the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 – truly a historic moment!
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But our work is far from done. Since achieving this milestone, we have continued to push for an end to cruel practices that still harm crustaceans across the UK including a ban on live boiling, live sales and posting for home cooking, as well as advocating for better protections in scientific research and their wild habitats. And we are seeing results! At the end of 2025, the government finally recognised that live boiling is not an acceptable killing method for crustaceans, and will be issuing official guidance on that later this year. And in January 2026, in a formal letter to the government, the Animal Sentience Committee recommended that crustaceans be included in all animal welfare legislation. These are huge steps for crustacean welfare and our path to better protections.
A trip down memory lane - our campaign highlights
Valentines gifts for lobsters
We made a real statement with our ‘Show Lobsters Some Love’ campaign back in 2018. As officials walked into work, they were greeted by a giant Valentine’s Day card calling on the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) to protect decapods in animal welfare legislation. We even added a large ‘chocolate box’ filled with all your 35,502 signatures in support of the campaign.
On the day, we were also joined by two veterinary professionals, Dil Peeling and Martin Cooke, who signed our open letter and even made persuasive videos for Michael Gove. Martin Cooke has now sadly passed away, but he will always remain an important part of our mission.
Crustaceans are finally recognised as sentient
After years of our determined campaigning, scientific engagement, and political advocacy, we achieved a landmark victory: the UK became the first country in the world to legally recognise decapod crustaceans as sentient beings under the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022.
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Our work directly prompted Defra to commission the London School of Economics to conduct a full review of the evidence. We submitted more than 300 points of scientific and welfare evidence, material that proved instrumental in shaping the final report. The LSE’s conclusion was unequivocal: decapod crustaceans are sentient and capable of experiencing emotions such as joy, pain, and suffering. This pivotal finding led to their inclusion in the Sentience Act.
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This success was made possible by our unwavering commitment, backed by leading scientists, veterinarians, animal welfare organisations, and tens of thousands of supporters worldwide. Together, we delivered historic progress for some of the most overlooked animals.
Decapods are finally recognised as sentient
In 2022, we developed The Snapshot, the UK’s first industry benchmark assessing and ranking seafood producers, processors, foodservice companies and retailers on decapod welfare. Updated annually, this benchmark evaluates companies on humane stunning, transport and holding conditions, training, consumer information, and transparency, providing public accountability and a roadmap for improvement.
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Businesses have shown that with the right guidance, they can achieve swift and meaningful change – from 2023 to 2024 over two thirds of the companies improved their score, with record numbers committing to tackle poor welfare practices.
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In 2023 we founded the Crustacean Industry Welfare Hub, a first-of-its-kind resource centre supporting businesses with practical guidance, welfare solutions and research summaries.
Our research has previously shown that 65% of the public support a ban on boiling crabs and lobsters alive. This outdated practice causes horrific yet unnecessary suffering to countless crustaceans in the UK and abroad. Something needed to change.
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So, in January 2025 we ramped up our campaign on this and vowed for 2025 to become the year end boiling alive. Throughout the year the support grew and on 21 October 2025, the Crustacean Compassion team, alongside MP’s, animal welfare organisations, supporters and advocates, gathered outside Parliament to make a stand against live boiling. The reaction we received was overwhelmingly positive, with strong public support online.
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And success - on 22 December 2025, the government released their updated animal welfare strategy, stating that they will:
“Publish guidance on which methods of killing decapods are compatible with the existing welfare at time of killing legal requirements, including by clarifying that live boiling is not an acceptable killing method.”
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Whilst this official guidance has not yet been released, we are hopeful to see this become concrete in 2026, and that it will finally condemn boiling alive and other similar painful practices like freezing and chopping live animals to the history books.
Say no to live boiling
Putting compassion on the menu in Kinder Kitchens
With welfare measures and guidelines setting the standards in kitchens, support and education can help the industry switch to more welfare-focused practices. In 2025, we launched our Kinder Kitchens campaign, an initiative that puts compassion at the heart of seafood preparation. Through this, we work directly with chefs and restaurant managers to ensure that all the crustaceans they source and handle are treated as humanely as possible; from sea to plate. This includes things like improving live handling, storage, and slaughter methods. We reached these chefs and restaurants with the assistance of The Chef’s Forum, a renowned online platform for food professionals to share ideas and mentor the next generation of younger chefs. We also ran a free webinar about what crustacean issues mean for chefs and restaurants, featuring our Kinder Kitchens chef Ambassador, Merrick Webinar.
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This campaign has always been about making progress together, showing how thoughtful, compassionate practices can strengthen kitchens while improving crustacean welfare. And we’re excited for what comes next. In 2026, we’ll be launching a new directory celebrating the chefs and restaurants joining the Kinder Kitchens movement, spotlighting their welfare-focused steps and inspiring even more kitchens to move forward with us.
Peek don’t poke
In May 2025, Defra announced new reforms banning the use of decapods, octopus and squid in aquarium touch pools because of the stress it causes them. While we welcomed the news, we wanted the same standard to be applied when people come across these animals in the wild. So, we launched our ambitious Rockpool Ranger campaign.
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We travelled around the North Cornish coast encouraging families of all ages to observe rockpool life with child-friendly underwater telescopes, rather than removing the creatures from the water. Across our four events, over 200 people took part, with even more downloading our resource packs.
We couldn't have done it without you
Your support ensures that we can carry out our essential work to protect crustaceans. We are delighted to say that over the years our supporter base has expanded rapidly. We now have over 11,000 newsletter subscribers and a social media following of over 20,000. Through engaging digital content, investigations, public campaigns, and educational initiatives, we continue to shape public understanding and inspire behavioural change.
Our work continues
As we move into our 10th year, we reflect on the incredible achievements we have made, but also what work is still to be done. Not only are we celebrating an anniversary, but a huge piece of legislation is also celebrating one too. The Animal Welfare Act (2006) protects all animals handled by humans in in England and Wales, turns 20 this year. Although crustaceans are recognised as sentient, they are not included in this act and are some of the most wildly handled animals by humans across the board. Whilst this has always been an issue we have spoken up against, we will be focusing on crustaceans inclusion in this act. We have a rare opportunity in 2026: two anniversaries, one mission, and a perfect moment to finish what we started.
Looking ahead
As we celebrate a decade of protection for our 10-legged friends, our mission is still far from complete. We will continue to advocate for more robust legal protections for crustaceans, humane slaughter standards, and full recognition of welfare in scientific procedures. We also remain committed to collaborating with industry, supporting sustainable practices, and empowering the public to stand up for crustaceans.
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Ten years of progress.
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Ten years of protection.
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A decade of decapod compassion and a future filled with promise.
Related content
Take a look at the impactful achievements we have made over the past 10 years.
