I recently visited Hannaford Supermarket in Upstate New York and was horrified to see that live lobsters were crammed into a tiny barren tank to starve slowly before being boiled alive. I even witnessed on October 20, 2016, the disturbing scene of a dead lobster attempting to cannibalize another lobster in plain view of shopping customers as it gnawed away hopelessly at the outer shell with its face because its major claws were tightly bound.
These tanks are cruel to lobsters—complex animals that feel pain—and I hope you will consider getting rid of the tank altogether. The others that I have shared this experience with have felt disturbed, and I find it hard to believe that Hannaford now carries somewhat more humane companies such as “Natures Place” brands along side organics, and yet still allow this to occur.
Scientists in the European Union classify lobsters as “category I”—that is, animals who possess a central nervous system and experience pain. Also in this category are dogs, cats, chickens, pigs, and humans. Dr. Nedim C. Buyukmihci, professor of veterinary surgery, writes, “There is no question that lobsters have the ability to feel pain and suffer … it would be inappropriate to do something to lobsters that you would not consider doing to conscious dogs, cats, or humans.” Dr. Jaren Horsley, an invertebrate zoologist at the National Zoo, found that lobsters possess a “sophisticated nervous system.”
Confined lobsters may suffer from stress, low oxygen levels, and crowding—and those who are “chosen” are typically cut up or boiled alive, suffering excruciating pain every second of the three long minutes that it takes for them to die via boiling. Lobsters are held with their claws bound in inhospitable conditions until the moment their painful death.
After hearing from concerned customers, grocery chains like Safeway and Raley’s Supermarkets have discontinued the sale of live lobsters. This should send a strong message to your progressive grocery store business that cruelty will not be tolerated. I hope you agree and will remove the tank right away. People across the country are commonly disturbed by lobster tanks and how we put them to death in a boiling pot of water.
