Fish are meat and lobsters have central nervous systems

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

 

I had a debate with a lady a few years ago and she swore she was

a vegetarian even though she ate fish. Vegetarians eat vegetables

and some eat eggs and dairy (lacto ovo vegetarians). Fish are living

creatures and some are quite smart and some live for many, many years.

Fish have nervous systems and can feel pain. I believe fish can also

think and learn.

 

" Fish, Form and function > The nervous system and sensory organs

As in all vertebrates, the nervous system of fishes is the primary

mechanism coordinating body activities, as well as integrating these

activities in the appropriate manner with stimuli from the environment.

The central nervous system, the brain, and spinal cord, are the primary

integrating mechanisms. The peripheral nervous system, consisting of

nerves that. " Encyclopedia Britanica

 

Regarding crustacean (lobsters, prawns etc) , they have nervous systems

too.

I have been sent a newsletter for years now from the UK campaigning for

people

to leave lobsters and crustacea alone (not to eat them, hurt them etc).

From memory, it was proven that lobsters boiled alive (and I would say

this

applies to prawns etc as well) have screamed in pain (this was picked up

by

special equipment) and some took several minutes to die. Can you imagine

being

boiled alive? Apparently a UK scientist was researching a more humane

method

of killing lobsters via an electrocution tank.

 

The method of killing lobsters where I live (in Australia) that is the

method

promoted as most humane is a method where experienced persons push a

knife of

such through a certain part of the animals body to sever the spinal

cord.

There is also death by stunning in very cold iced water (perhaps this

eventually

kills them too). However, I believe many people boil these animals alive

as well as boiling crabs and prawns alive. Some people put them in fresh

water

which kills them through some horrible chemical process.

 

I have read lovely articles of people rescuing lobsters from tanks in

restaurants

or from fisherman (where they were paid for first) and of lobsters

holding claws

(like we hold hands) and marching for miles along the ocean floor.

 

For anyone who wants to read further, here is an article about how to

kill a lobster.

 

I just won't eat crustacean because I realise they are intelligent

beings who have

a place in the scheme of things. I also wonder at the chilling process.

I too would

die if chilled for a long time but I don't think freezing to death is a

particularly

nice way to die (is there a nice way to kill an animal at all?).

 

http://www.maf.govt.nz/mafnet/press/archive/2000/140200lob.htm

14 February 2000

 

Chill it, then split or spike it - the humane way to kill a lobster

The appropriate way to humanely kill a rock lobster is to chill it, then

kill it by either splitting or spiking it.

 

Chefs using this method can be sure that they are killing the lobsters

humanely, whilst preparing good quality lobster meat according to a

recent study by MIRINZ Food Technology and Research.

 

It's important because under the new Animal Welfare Act, which commenced

on the 1 January 2000, lobsters are classified as animals, and

accordingly, it is now an offence to kill a lobster inhumanely.

 

In New Zealand any animal killed for meat consumption must be killed

humanely. This means the animal must not be stressed when being handled,

should be held at the place of slaughter for only a short time under

appropriate conditions, and the killing method must not cause pain or

distress prior to death. It applies to animals killed in restaurants,

like lobsters.

 

Seafood shops and restaurants have recently come under growing scrutiny

concerning their methods for killing rock lobsters. One method, tailing

(where the body is severed between the fore half and abdomen with a

knife) received national media coverage and was condemned by the RNZSPCA

as inhumane.

 

The report's writers, Neville Gregory, MIRINZ scientist and member of

the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) and Dr Tim Lowe

found eight common procedures were being used in New Zealand seafood

restaurants to kill lobsters, usually with two or more methods combined.

 

These were chilling, drowning, spiking, chest spike, splitting, and

tailing, freezing, and boiling (definitions listed below).

 

" Not many lobsters are killed by freezing or boiling in New Zealand

restaurants because both methods affect the quality of the meat, " says

Dr Gregory, " Boiling lobsters alive tends to make the meat chewy, and

freezing makes the meat lose its fresh appearance. Boiling also causes

the lobster to shed its legs making it unsuitable as a garnish for

serving lobster meals, " he said.

 

The research found that lobsters should be chilled before being killed.

 

" It's the simplest way to make them insensible without damaging the

edible parts of the body. Being cold blooded, chilling the lobster helps

reduce nerve function and metabolic activity. To chill, place the

lobster in salt water or a refrigerator set at two to four degrees. When

it is fully chilled, the lobster will stop moving and no longer responds

to being handled, " Dr Gregory said. Chilling at a temperature above four

degrees does not guarantee complete insensibility, but a lobster can be

kept alive at this temperature for up to two days.

 

Dr Gregory says placing a lobster in unsalted tap water causes severe

osmotic stress leading to drowning. Drowning can cause the lobster meat

to turn soft due to it retaining water as part of the osmotic affect.

Regardless of water temperature, drowning is an inappropriate killing

method for lobsters.

 

The report recommends chilling a lobster before splitting it along its

length where it has two chains of nerve ganglia, with interconnecting

nerves along its body under the shell. Chilling beforehand prevents the

lobster from moving and mistakes during splitting occurring, otherwise

the manoeuvre requires skill to ensure a humane kill in an unchilled

animal. A lobster should also be well chilled before head spiking.

 

The report says that tailing and chest spiking do not cause immediate

unconsciousness in unchilled lobsters.

 

For further information concerning the research findings contact: Dr

Neville Gregory, Animal Welfare and Stress section, MIRENZ, Phone: 07

838 5321

 

For Animal Welfare Act information contact Kate Horrey, Animal Welfare

Policy Adviser, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Phone: 04 474 4100

 

Common methods for killing lobsters in New Zealand seafood restaurants:

Chilling- animals are cooled in a cold room, fridge or slurry ice

Drowning - animals are placed in tap water

Head spiking - animals are spiked through the chest wall from the

underside

Splitting - the body is split along its length with a knife

Tailing - the body is severed between the fore half (cephalothorax) and

abdomen with a knife

Freezing - animals are frozen using a kitchen freezer

Boiling - animals are dropped into boiling water

 

*********************************************

Opportunity Title: Food Processing-Crustastun Client Ref: B-0182A5

Opportunity Requirement: No Opportunities Offered: Yes

Description: The ONLY humane method and apparatus for killing

Crustaceans (Crabs, Lobsters, Crayfish). A simply operated single unit

stunner or continuous belt processor / batch stunner which for the first

time makes it possible to anaesthetise or humanely kill lobsters, crabs,

crayfish and other crustaceans prior to cooking, offering real

commercial benefits.

 

UTEK-Pax is seeking licenees or other commercial partners to exploit

either the single unit stunner or the batch stunner in various

geographies.

 

Further information available below (see Related Documents) .

 

 

 

Contact Details: Please reply to Hadas Mills, Marketing Manager, tel.

+44 (0)1442-873456, Email ha. Thank you !

Related Documents: [1] Crustastun Profile

A one page .pdf specification of this client's offering. Requires Adobe

Acrobat Reader (free download available from

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html)

[Guest guest]

-

Degrees Centigrade I assume??

 

-- In , " bunny " <rabbit@i...>

wrote:

> Hi All,

>

> I had a debate with a lady a few years ago and she swore she was

> a vegetarian even though she ate fish. Vegetarians eat vegetables

> and some eat eggs and dairy (lacto ovo vegetarians). Fish are

living

> creatures and some are quite smart and some live for many, many

years.

> Fish have nervous systems and can feel pain. I believe fish can

also

> think and learn.

>

> " Fish, Form and function > The nervous system and sensory organs

> As in all vertebrates, the nervous system of fishes is the primary

> mechanism coordinating body activities, as well as integrating

these

> activities in the appropriate manner with stimuli from the

environment.

> The central nervous system, the brain, and spinal cord, are the

primary

> integrating mechanisms. The peripheral nervous system, consisting

of

> nerves that. " Encyclopedia Britanica

>

> Regarding crustacean (lobsters, prawns etc) , they have nervous

systems

> too.

> I have been sent a newsletter for years now from the UK

campaigning for

> people

> to leave lobsters and crustacea alone (not to eat them, hurt them

etc).

> From memory, it was proven that lobsters boiled alive (and I would

say

> this

> applies to prawns etc as well) have screamed in pain (this was

picked up

> by

> special equipment) and some took several minutes to die. Can you

imagine

> being

> boiled alive? Apparently a UK scientist was researching a more

humane

> method

> of killing lobsters via an electrocution tank.

>

> The method of killing lobsters where I live (in Australia) that is

the

> method

> promoted as most humane is a method where experienced persons push

a

> knife of

> such through a certain part of the animals body to sever the spinal

> cord.

> There is also death by stunning in very cold iced water (perhaps

this

> eventually

> kills them too). However, I believe many people boil these animals

alive

> as well as boiling crabs and prawns alive. Some people put them in

fresh

> water

> which kills them through some horrible chemical process.

>

> I have read lovely articles of people rescuing lobsters from tanks

in

> restaurants

> or from fisherman (where they were paid for first) and of lobsters

> holding claws

> (like we hold hands) and marching for miles along the ocean floor.

>

> For anyone who wants to read further, here is an article about how

to

> kill a lobster.

>

> I just won't eat crustacean because I realise they are intelligent

> beings who have

> a place in the scheme of things. I also wonder at the chilling

process.

> I too would

> die if chilled for a long time but I don't think freezing to death

is a

> particularly

> nice way to die (is there a nice way to kill an animal at all?).

>

> http://www.maf.govt.nz/mafnet/press/archive/2000/140200lob.htm

> 14 February 2000

>

> Chill it, then split or spike it - the humane way to kill a lobster

> The appropriate way to humanely kill a rock lobster is to chill

it, then

> kill it by either splitting or spiking it.

>

> Chefs using this method can be sure that they are killing the

lobsters

> humanely, whilst preparing good quality lobster meat according to a

> recent study by MIRINZ Food Technology and Research.

>

> It's important because under the new Animal Welfare Act, which

commenced

> on the 1 January 2000, lobsters are classified as animals, and

> accordingly, it is now an offence to kill a lobster inhumanely.

>

> In New Zealand any animal killed for meat consumption must be

killed

> humanely. This means the animal must not be stressed when being

handled,

> should be held at the place of slaughter for only a short time

under

> appropriate conditions, and the killing method must not cause pain

or

> distress prior to death. It applies to animals killed in

restaurants,

> like lobsters.

>

> Seafood shops and restaurants have recently come under growing

scrutiny

> concerning their methods for killing rock lobsters. One method,

tailing

> (where the body is severed between the fore half and abdomen with a

> knife) received national media coverage and was condemned by the

RNZSPCA

> as inhumane.

>

> The report's writers, Neville Gregory, MIRINZ scientist and member

of

> the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) and Dr Tim

Lowe

> found eight common procedures were being used in New Zealand

seafood

> restaurants to kill lobsters, usually with two or more methods

combined.

>

> These were chilling, drowning, spiking, chest spike, splitting, and

> tailing, freezing, and boiling (definitions listed below).

>

> " Not many lobsters are killed by freezing or boiling in New Zealand

> restaurants because both methods affect the quality of the meat, "

says

> Dr Gregory, " Boiling lobsters alive tends to make the meat chewy,

and

> freezing makes the meat lose its fresh appearance. Boiling also

causes

> the lobster to shed its legs making it unsuitable as a garnish for

> serving lobster meals, " he said.

>

> The research found that lobsters should be chilled before being

killed.

>

> " It's the simplest way to make them insensible without damaging the

> edible parts of the body. Being cold blooded, chilling the lobster

helps

> reduce nerve function and metabolic activity. To chill, place the

> lobster in salt water or a refrigerator set at two to four

degrees. When

> it is fully chilled, the lobster will stop moving and no longer

responds

> to being handled, " Dr Gregory said. Chilling at a temperature

above four

> degrees does not guarantee complete insensibility, but a lobster

can be

> kept alive at this temperature for up to two days.

>

> Dr Gregory says placing a lobster in unsalted tap water causes

severe

> osmotic stress leading to drowning. Drowning can cause the lobster

meat

> to turn soft due to it retaining water as part of the osmotic

affect.

> Regardless of water temperature, drowning is an inappropriate

killing

> method for lobsters.

>

> The report recommends chilling a lobster before splitting it along

its

> length where it has two chains of nerve ganglia, with

interconnecting

> nerves along its body under the shell. Chilling beforehand

prevents the

> lobster from moving and mistakes during splitting occurring,

otherwise

> the manoeuvre requires skill to ensure a humane kill in an

unchilled

> animal. A lobster should also be well chilled before head spiking.

>

> The report says that tailing and chest spiking do not cause

immediate

> unconsciousness in unchilled lobsters.

>

> For further information concerning the research findings contact:

Dr

> Neville Gregory, Animal Welfare and Stress section, MIRENZ, Phone:

07

> 838 5321

>

> For Animal Welfare Act information contact Kate Horrey, Animal

Welfare

> Policy Adviser, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Phone: 04

474 4100

>

> Common methods for killing lobsters in New Zealand seafood

restaurants:

> Chilling- animals are cooled in a cold room, fridge or slurry ice

> Drowning - animals are placed in tap water

> Head spiking - animals are spiked through the chest wall from the

> underside

> Splitting - the body is split along its length with a knife

> Tailing - the body is severed between the fore half

(cephalothorax) and

> abdomen with a knife

> Freezing - animals are frozen using a kitchen freezer

> Boiling - animals are dropped into boiling water

>

> *********************************************

> Opportunity Title: Food Processing-Crustastun Client Ref: B-0182A5

> Opportunity Requirement: No Opportunities Offered: Yes

> Description: The ONLY humane method and apparatus for killing

> Crustaceans (Crabs, Lobsters, Crayfish). A simply operated single

unit

> stunner or continuous belt processor / batch stunner which for the

first

> time makes it possible to anaesthetise or humanely kill lobsters,

crabs,

> crayfish and other crustaceans prior to cooking, offering real

> commercial benefits.

>

> UTEK-Pax is seeking licenees or other commercial partners to

exploit

> either the single unit stunner or the batch stunner in various

> geographies.

>

> Further information available below (see Related Documents) .

>

>

>

> Contact Details: Please reply to Hadas Mills, Marketing Manager,

tel.

> +44 (0)1442-873456, Email hadas@p... Thank you !

> Related Documents: [1] Crustastun Profile

> A one page .pdf specification of this client's offering. Requires

Adobe

> Acrobat Reader (free download available from

> http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html)