Ethics and invertebrates: a cephalopod perspective

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Date
2007
Authors
Mather, Jennifer A.
Anderson, Roland C.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Inter Research
Abstract
This paper first explores 3 philosophical bases for attitudes to invertebrates, Contractarian/Kantian, Utilitarian, and Rights-based, and what they lead us to conclude about how we use and care for these animals. We next discuss the problems of evaluating pain and suffering in invertebrates, pointing out that physiological responses to stress are widely similar across the animal kingdom and that most animals show behavioral responses to potentially painful stimuli. Since cephalopods are often used as a test group for consideration of pain, distress and proper conditions for captivity and handling, we evaluate their behavioral and cognitive capacities. Given these capacities, we then discuss practical issues: minimization of their pain and suffering during harvesting for food; ensuring that captive cephalopods are properly cared for, stimulated and allowed to live as full a life as possible; and, lastly, working for their conservation.
Description
Sherpa Romeo green journal. Permission to archive final published version
Keywords
Invertebrates , Ethics , Cephalopods , Animal pain , Animal suffering
Citation
Mather, J. A., & Anderson, R. C. (2007). Ethics and invertebrates: A cephalopod perspective. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 75, 119-129. doi:10.3354/dao075119
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