A culinary instructor at the NSCC Sydney Waterfront Campus in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, is educating students on a more humane approach to cooking and preparing lobsters. Adam White, with 20 years of experience as a culinary instructor and 15 years as a chef, has adopted a method influenced by research from England. The UK has announced plans to outlaw boiling lobsters alive by 2030, in line with the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act of 2022, recognizing the ability of decapod crustaceans and cephalopod mollusks to experience pain.
Traditionally, chefs would boil lobsters alive in salted water for 11 to 14 minutes, but White has shifted towards a more compassionate method. He now advises freezing lobsters for 20 to 30 minutes to reduce their metabolism and central nervous system activity, leading to less pain when swiftly killed by inserting a knife between their eyes.
Several countries, such as Switzerland, Norway, and New Zealand, already prohibit boiling lobsters alive. The decision in England to ban this practice followed a study by the London School of Economics, which highlighted the pain sensitivity of crustaceans and cephalopods, based on the work of retired Queen’s University Belfast professor Robert Elwood. Elwood, an expert in animal behavior, discovered pain responses in lobsters and crabs, challenging the misconception that their reactions are merely reflexes.
In light of this research, Elwood questions the ethicality of boiling these creatures alive, emphasizing the availability of more humane methods for their preparation. Despite these findings, Nova Scotia’s Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture has stated that there are no current plans to revise lobster cooking practices in the region.