Shocking end for crustaceans

British barrister Simon Buckhaven has developed a device which administers an electric shock to humanely kill lobsters and other crustaceans in a bath of brine instead of boiling them alive.

Buckhaven invested £300,000 of his own money to develop the patented Crustastun, which is now on sale in the UK, with two distributors earmarked for the US. He brought in Bristol University to evaluate the concept and the Silsoe Institute in Bedford to build a manufacturing kit.

Buckhaven has brought out two models to date: a large £50,000 machine for use in processing plants and a smaller one at £2,500 for use in restaurants.

As well as killing the crustaceans, a Crustastun also kills all the bacteria on them, which can normally cause the meat to deteriorate rapidly after cooking. A lobster killed using Crustastun can be chilled and eaten several days later.