As some European countries move to ban the boiling of live lobsters, the debate is drawing increased attention in Atlantic Canada - home to a lobster industry worth nearly $3 billion annually.
The issue has already prompted bans in the U.K., Switzerland, Norway and New Zealand, largely driven by concerns over animal welfare and the possibility that lobsters can feel pain. But whether Canada should follow suit is far from settled.
Shelly Adamo, a professor of psychology at Dalhousie University in Halifax who studies stress responses in animals, says the science remains unclear - and that uncertainty matters.
“Of course, we should be kind to animals and animal welfare is a serious issue, Adamo told CTV’s Your Morning Monday. ”I don’t really think lobsters have the capacity for feeling pain, certainly not the way we do."
At the heart of the debate is the lack of scientific consensus on whether lobsters experience pain or suffering. Unlike humans, Adamo explained, lobsters cannot communicate their internal experiences, forcing researchers to rely on indirect measures.
“You can’t ask them,” she said. “Pain is more than just reacting to damage. It’s that horrible emotional response ... the suffering part. We don’t know whether they actually have the capacity for that.”
Adamo added that observable behaviours alone are not enough to prove pain. “You can program machines to mimic human pain behaviour,” she said, arguing that lobsters may be closer to “sophisticated robots” than animals capable of emotional suffering.
While alternative killing methods exist - including gradual temperature increases or mechanical stunning - Adamo cautioned against assuming these approaches are cost-free.
“For something that is not clear has any benefit at all, this could be a huge burden,” she said, noting that restaurants may opt to stop serving lobster altogether.
That could have ripple effects across the supply chain. With trade pressures, tariffs and declining access to key export markets like China and the U.S., Adamo said the industry is increasingly reliant on domestic demand.
“A decline in domestic demand is really going to push down prices,” she said. “Especially Nova Scotia, there are many rural communities that that really require that lobster fishery for their existence.”
While Adamo acknowledged the moral appeal of precautionary bans, she stressed the need to weigh potential benefits against real-world consequences.
“We’re going to potentially cause harm to these communities. And it’s not even clear that the lobsters will benefit by this,” she said.
