An interesting story in the New York Times blog talks about finding the most humane way to kill a lobster. To spare you the suspense, no one really knows, but there are a number of theories – if you’re a lobster-eater and you get creeped out at the thought of boiling them alive, it’s worth a read.
As a vegetarian, I don’t eat seafood, though I do really like lobster. Scientists are apparently still out on whether they feel pain at all, and how to cook/kill them with as little pain as possible. Since lobsters are fairly unique, as one of the few animals that we usually bring into our homes and kill ourselves, the question is relevant. We all know that animals die (and usually suffer) getting to our plates, but it’s different when we can see it. One interviewee in the article describes the problem not as avoiding pain for the lobster, but avoiding discomfort for the cook. And that’s probably true.
Yet, lobsters don’t perceive the world the way we do. I remember a holiday party years ago where one of my relatives was doing “stupid lobster tricks,” making them stand on their heads and balance on their tails before going into the pot. I was pretty embarassed on their behalf – the lobsters themselves were probably just confused.
Seafood has always been a morally grey area in my vegetarianism. I avoid it for consistency, and for political reasons (the sustainability of our seafood supply has been seriously threatened in recent years, and many restaurants are serving sustainable alternatives to traditional favorites that are rapidly disappearing). But is it wrong to kill seafood, the way it can be considered wrong to kill a chicken or a cow? We don’t know if lobsters feel pain, and they’re pretty lively as these creatures go. What about shrimp? Scallops? I find it hard believe that scallops feel much of anything. But then, I’m the sort of person who catches bugs and releases them outside instead of squashing them.
In the end, it comes down to our relationship with our food. If you eat seafood, how do you feel about cooking lobsters? And if you’re vegetarian, is it wrong (politics aside) to eat an animal that can’t feel pain?