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09 November 2007
Colin Barras
Magazine issue 2629
It could prick the conscience of seafood chefs everywhere. Prawns, lobsters
and other invertebrates may feel pain, a controversial finding that could
open up the debate on animal welfare.

Robert Elwood at Queen's University Belfast in the UK and his colleagues
claim they have found convincing evidence that prawns do feel pain. When
they dabbed an irritant - acetic acid - onto one of 144 prawns' two
antennae, the creatures reacted by grooming and rubbing the affected antenna
for up to 5 minutes. This focused reaction is similar to that seen in
mammals exposed to a noxious stimulant (Animal Behaviour, DOI:
10.1016/j.anbehav.2007.07.004).

Elwood says the results show a centrally organised response to the irritant.
"The prolonged, specifically directed rubbing and grooming is consistent
with an interpretation of pain experience," he says.

Most researchers believe that only vertebrates feel pain, but Elwood argues
that this is unlikely because of ...