Investigating clove oil and its derivatives as anaesthetic agents for decapod crustaceans to improve welfare commercially and at slaughter
Abstract
Decapods have been recently classified as sentient beings in UK policy and therefore the establishment of humane methods for the live transportation and slaughter of commercially valuable shellfish as well as for decapods used in research is critical. Formerly overlooked, the use of anaesthetics provides a promising avenue for improving welfare standards for husbandry and slaughter for decapod crustaceans destined for human consumption or research. In particular, clove oil and its derivatives (eugenol and isoeugenol) have been trialled and recommended in literature as naturally-derived and effective, reversible anaesthetic compounds for a variety of decapods, including two commercially important British shellfish, brown crab (Cancer pagurus) and Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus). Further investigations should be undertaken to confirm the use of such anaesthetics is suitable for improving welfare standards in the British shellfish sector and in research to ensure that when the legislation changes, humane solutions are present.
Citation
Spoors , F , James , M A , Mendo , T , McKnight , J C , Bønnelycke , E-M S & Khan , N 2023 , ' Investigating clove oil and its derivatives as anaesthetic agents for decapod crustaceans to improve welfare commercially and at slaughter ' , Frontiers in Animal Science , vol. 4 , 1180977 . https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1180977
Publication
Frontiers in Animal Science
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
2673-6225Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © 2023 Spoors, James, Mendo, McKnight, Bønnelycke and Khan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Description
Funding: This research was funded by an internal research grant from Nottingham Trent University. The Article Processing charge was covered by the University of St Andrews Institutional Open Access Fund.Collections
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