Perspective: Opportunities for advancing aquatic invertebrate welfare

Abstract

Welfare considerations and regulations for invertebrates have lagged behind those for vertebrates, despite invertebrates comprising more than 95% of earth's species. Humans interact with and use aquatic invertebrates for exhibition in zoos and aquaria, as pets, research subjects, and important food sources. Recent research has indicated that aquatic invertebrates, in particular cephalopod mollusks and decapod crustaceans, experience stress and may be able to feel pain. With this article, we present results of a survey on attitudes of aquatic animal health professionals toward aquatic invertebrate welfare and provide practical recommendations for advancing aquatic invertebrate welfare across four areas of opportunity: use of anesthesia, analgesia, and euthanasia; development of less invasive diagnostic and research sampling methods based on 3R principles; use of humane slaughter methods for aquatic invertebrates; and reducing impacts of invasive procedures in aquaculture and fisheries. We encourage consideration of these opportunities to achieve far-reaching improvements in aquatic invertebrate welfare.

Traumatic telson avulsion and attempted external stabilization in Atlantic horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus)

“…Given current biomedical demands for their hemolymph, public fascination, and the increasing need to protect their populations and habitats, AHCs will remain prevalent in managed care environments, including public aquariums. As professional and public opinion surrounding aquatic invertebrate welfare evolves (Hadfield & Wahltinez, 2022; Wahltinez et al, 2022), the husbandry and veterinary care of AHCs will also need to continue to advance and address the health challenges of these unique animals. Finding an AHC in dorsal recumbency for prolonged periods in managed care environments or stranded on a beach in the wild should be considered abnormal (US Fish and Wildlife Service, 2018), and the AHC should be gently righted by manipulating the durable prosoma.…”

It Is Not Only Data—Freshwater Invertebrates Misused in Biological Monitoring

“…The term ‘welfare’ used to refer to free-living animals is ambiguous. Especially when used in relation to invertebrates used in environmental studies—it may in fact mean [ 41 ] simply a reduction in suffering during exploitation or killing and does not take into account any basic vital interests of animals.…”

“…Various biological and technical limitations still impede the implementation of the environmental genomics for routine monitoring applications. These limitations mainly stem from the fact that the methods sample fundamentally different units of presence (molecules vs. individuals), resulting in different biases affecting richness, abundance and taxonomic composition [ 41 , 49 ]. The richness of “molecular species” should not be considered analogous to species richness [ 44 , 50 ].…”

Towards Shrimp and Prawn Welfare in the Wild‐ Caught Fishing Industry: A Global Review and Recommendations for Research and Policy

“…Animal welfare is increasingly understood as an ethically significant dimension of sustainable food production (United Nations Environment Programme 2019;Coghlan et al 2021). This is reflected in increasing consumer concern for animal welfare, retailer commitments to meet minimum welfare standards, and government legislation (Alonso et al 2020;Albalat et al 2022;Wickens 2022;Wahltinez et al 2022). Society is increasingly turning attention towards the welfare of aquatic animals in particular, including fish and marine invertebrates (Stien et al 2020;Albalat et al 2022;Crump et al 2022;Wahltinez et al 2022).…”

“…This is reflected in increasing consumer concern for animal welfare, retailer commitments to meet minimum welfare standards, and government legislation (Alonso et al 2020;Albalat et al 2022;Wickens 2022;Wahltinez et al 2022). Society is increasingly turning attention towards the welfare of aquatic animals in particular, including fish and marine invertebrates (Stien et al 2020;Albalat et al 2022;Crump et al 2022;Wahltinez et al 2022). It was recently estimated that the most numerous group of animals directly killed for human consumption is shrimp, exceeding even numbers of directly killed fish and chickens (Romero Waldhorn and Autric 2022).…”