That is a living thing, pain or not it is conscious and most likely doesn't want or like to be eaten alive. What I would do is put it in the freezer. Humans have this protein, too, but our store of the molecule is much less active than an octopus’. Crustaceans, cephalopods, and mollusks don't have any internal temperature regulation, so if you freeze them you can get them to the point where they're really not conscious. But goodness knows, I have eaten raw oysters and raw clams. Why is it that we almost universally condemn leaving a dog out in the rain or kicking a cat, but haven't yet decided whether slowly dismembering a sea creature is truly disagreeable? I find it difficult to have any sympathy for people who choke on a live animal that they're eating piece by piece. Understanding that if there's a crab under a rock and you got it, there might not be another crab for that rock for a while. But don't feel TOO sorry for her . dining on octopuses whose arms continue to squirm. The controversial practice of eating live animals is still popular in many parts of the world. We asked a cephalopod expert how it feels for an octopus who is on the receiving end. But in some corners of the world, there is less taboo assigned to eating the still-breathing. She says, “There is absolutely no doubt that they feel pain. If you've got pieces of arm, because there's so much local control, they might react to the painful stimuli that they get, but they're probably not exactly "feeling pain," because they're disconnected from the brain. “If I was an octopus trying to be eaten alive I would have done the same. Live octopus is served at about a … Crustaceans, cephalopods, and mollusks don't have any internal temperature regulation, so if you freeze them you can get them to the point where they're really not conscious. MUNCHIES: Have you come across the practice of eating live octopus over the course of your research on cephalopods? In Seoul, South Korea, there are entire restaurants centered around dining on octopuses whose arms continue to squirm when they're placed on your plate—and as they wriggle down your throat. What about other types of sea creatures—the live langoustine, for example, that caused waves for Copenhagen's Noma? That would be the quickest, easiest way to render an animal that might be conscious not conscious. There's a wonderful video from some guys in Australia—there are several that have done this actually—they need someplace to hide while they rest. Not only can they remember where home is, but they can go out and hunt, come back, and then go out the next day and hunt in a different place. You can give an animal a quick and minimally painful death before you eat it—at the least, you can destroy the brain. The octopus has a nervous system which is much more distributed than ours. What would be the best way to kill an octopus quickly and with minimal pain to the animal? Octopuses can feel pain, just like all animals. But in some corners of the world, there is less taboo assigned to eating the still-breathing. [T]he octopus, which you’ve been chopping to pieces, is feeling pain every time you do it. We don’t need to consume oysters, scallops, and clams to survive. Only someone with a mental disorder would do that. The octopus has a nervous system which is much more distributed than ours. Understanding that if there's a crab under a rock and you got it, there might not be another crab for that rock for a while. What's going on physically when their arms continue to move after they've been cut off? That would be the quickest, easiest way to render an animal that might be conscious not conscious. A live-streaming host known as Seaside Girl Little Seven regularly posts clips of herself enjoying seafood, but this time, in hopes of gaining more popularity, she tried something else. The reaction is an automatic response to the sodium chloride, or salt, in the soy sauce. This article originally appeared on MUNCHIES in December 2014. What's going on physically when their arms continue to move after they've been cut off? It's probable that the octopus's reaction to pain is similar to a vertebrate. It's probable that the octopus's reaction to pain is similar to a vertebrate. You just stick it in the freezer. The octopus has a nervous system which is much more distributed than ours. There's everything to learn about them. They're fascinating. So it’s a barbaric thing to do to the animal.”—Cephalopod expert Dr. Jennifer Mather One of them dug up a coconut shell and hauled it around with it, and when it got to the point where it wanted to rest, it picked up the shell, tucked itself inside of it, and went to sleep. I find it difficult to have any sympathy for people who choke on a live animal that they're eating piece by piece. To do this, octopus use a protein called protein acetylcholinesterase, or AChE. Wtf? MUNCHIES: Have you come across the practice of eating live octopus over the course of your research on cephalopods? As the researchers note in their paper, we know very little about whether cephalopods recognize pain or … There's everything to learn about them. I have also seen octopuses unscrewing jar lids easily to get a small crab inside. And, people do experience fear so great that it can cause them do die from the fear. In addition, fruit doesn't feel pain and you can eat plenty of that if eating plants is problem for you. There is absolutely no doubt that they feel pain. What I would do is put it in the freezer. The fact is that many octopi have their tentacles cut off while they're still alive, that is torture, and I am not okay with torture. After quite some deliberation, they decided that in terms of research, you should give consideration to cephalopods, including octopus and squid, but they did not include crustaceans. There is absolutely no doubt that they feel pain. My thought is that if you had a whole octopus and tried to eat it, it would be a completely repellant situation because the octopus would try to climb out. They have a nervous system which is much more distributed than ours…. I suspect that they're just throwing an octopus on a chopping block and cutting off pieces as they go, and they are absolutely causing that animal suffering. Of eating an octopus alive, Dr. Jennifer Mather, an expert on cephalopods and a psychology professor at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, says the following: “ [T]he octopus, which you’ve been chopping to … In the U.S., Europe and around the world, it is common practice to eat oysters and lobsters alive. Not only can they remember where home is, but they can go out and hunt, come back, and then go out the next day and hunt in a different place. She's in pain and crying, and it takes her 34 long seconds to pull it off. There is absolutely no doubt that they feel pain. I hoped that she could offer greater insight into pain and sentience in octopus terms. They're wonderful animals. There's a wonderful video from some guys in Australia—there are several that have done this actually—they need someplace to hide while they rest. I have also seen octopuses unscrewing jar lids easily to get a small crab inside. In your research, particularly with octopus, what was the most surprising evidence of anecdote you found about their intelligence or sense of sentience? How can we account for differences in the perception of what constitutes cruelty between cultures? Octopuses are eaten alive in several countries around the world, including the USA. Of course they do, just as much as you would if you were eaten alive! And one of the things they looked at in terms of rules was, OK, we have to give consideration to vertebrates, but are there any invertebrates that we should give ethical consideration to? If they stuck a shrimp on a block of ice until it's unreactive, it's probably less aware than it would be if you picked it out of the water and started chewing it from the tail up. “[T]he octopus, which you’ve been chopping to pieces, is feeling pain every time you do it. There's an interesting situation because the European Union, over the last few years, looked at all of their animal welfare rules. Many do not realize that they do indeed feel extreme pain and in some countries they are tortured first and then eaten alive! The evidence for sentience in squids, octopuses, and crustaceans is increasingly clear. In Seoul, South Korea, there are entire restaurants centered around dining on octopuses whose arms continue to squirm when they're placed on your plate—and as they wriggle down your throat. But they really don't have the central nervous system to be, so to speak, making decisions and suffering. There's no doubt about it. They can anticipate a painful, difficult, stressful situation—they can remember it. If they stuck a shrimp on a block of ice until it's unreactive, it's probably less aware than it would be if you picked it out of the water and started chewing it from the tail up. Octopuses can feel pain, just like all animals. But, do octopuses experience would-be painful experiences the same way mice do? But that doesn't mean that crustaceans can't experience the same pain stimuli, anticipation, and memory of painful events that an octopus does. A video has been making the rounds of a woman in China who has a live octopus stuck to her face. So it's a barbaric thing to do to the animal. I suspect that they're just throwing an octopus on a chopping block and cutting off pieces as they go, and they are absolutely causing that animal suffering. What about other types of sea creatures—the live langoustine, for example, that caused waves for Copenhagen's Noma? The octopus has a nervous system which is much more distributed than ours. Rather than trying to reckon with apples and oranges (or spaniels and squids), I consulted cephalopod expert Jennifer Mather, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta and author of numerous studies on octopus and cephalopod sentience, including "Cephalopod consciousness: Behavioral evidence" and "Ethics and invertebrates: a cephalopod perspective." Animal welfare groups have objected to this practice on the basis that octopuses can experience pain. My thought is that if you had a whole octopus and tried to eat it, it would be a completely repellant situation because the octopus would try to climb out. This is extremely barbaric to have these … It's not just a sense of direction, it's a sense of where you've been. They use tools, and they'll think about what they want to do with something even before they do it. It's just as painful as if it were a hog, a fish, or a rabbit, if you chopped a rabbit's leg off piece by piece. No animal deserves to be hacked to pieces while still alive. They use tools, and they'll think about what they want to do with something even before they do it. What do you think an octopus is experiencing when it's being cut into pieces and eaten alive? The organisation claims that octopuses, which are considered to be among the most intelligent invertebrates, can feel pain in the way that mammals do. If you've got pieces of arm, because there's so much local control, they might react to the painful stimuli that they get, but they're probably not exactly "feeling pain," because they're disconnected from the brain. They can anticipate a painful, difficult, stressful situation—they can remember it. By signing up to the VICE newsletter you agree to receive electronic communications from VICE that may sometimes include advertisements or sponsored content. Are baby octopus really babies? She added, “Octopus expert Dr. Jennifer Mather has stated that ‘There is absolutely no doubt that they feel pain,’ and explained that an octopus who is being eaten alive is in just as much pain as a pig, fish, or rabbit would be.” JUNG YEON-JE via Getty Images. But there was a discussion I had with PETA about someone who was frying octopuses alive in New York, and I was asked to comment on that. The only command issued by the octopus's brain is "FOOD NOW" -- the tentacle already knows what it needs to do in order to fulfill that goal without any further input from mission control. A 2010 article in The Guardian ignited heavy opinions for opening discussion about Copenhagen restaurant noma's dish of still-writhing langoustine; since, the issue has popped up here and there in editorials and YouTube videos. . Restaurants in New York give customers the chance to “ pick belly sashimi out of (the lobster’s) still moving body.” In China, drunken shrimp, or qiang xia, is a delicacy that involves clawed river shrimp soaked in baijiu or another spirit. Of eating an octopus alive, Dr. Jennifer Mather, an expert on cephalopods and a psychology professor at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, says, “ [T]he octopus, which you’ve been chopping to pieces, is feeling pain every time you do it. You don't have to figure out exactly where the brain is, and you don't have to worry about an anaesthetic tainting the flavor of the meat. They're fascinating. Of all people, Julia Child had instructions for cutting the brain of a lobster to kill it before you boil it. Cultural live animal traditions. that is sadistic and gross. I think it was the Hawaiians who used to bite down on the brain to kill it quickly. They also have spatial memory. Why is it that we almost universally condemn leaving a dog out in the rain or kicking a cat, but haven't yet decided whether slowly dismembering a sea creature is truly disagreeable? A 2010 article in The Guardian ignited heavy opinions for opening discussion about Copenhagen restaurant noma's dish of still-writhing langoustine; since, the issue has popped up here and there in editorials and YouTube videos. I know this from person experience and from what I've heard from others. 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