‘Catching a crab’ holds no water for animal rights activists

ROWERS have been told to stop saying they have “caught a crab” when their blade gets trapped in the water because it normalises animal cruelty.

They have been asked to replace the traditional phrase with an “animalfriendly” alternative, such as “liberating a lobster”.

The proposal was put forward in a letter to Mark Davies, chairman of British Rowing, by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta).

The letter, which Mr Davies tweeted on the day of the Oxford Cambridge boat race, suggested removing the phrase from rowing parlance would “encourage compassion” towards the animals.

“Words matter, and the phrase ‘catch a crab’ normalises hurting animals and may inadvertently encourage people to pull these sensitive animals from the safety of their watery homes,” wrote Elisa Allen of Peta.

She said adopting the phrase “liberating a lobster” would “surely inspire the public to spare countless crustaceans a trip to the boiling pot”.

“Crabs feel pain and fear, care attentively for their young, keep their homes clean and sometimes greet each other by waving their claws.

“British Rowing has an opportunity to help animals and send a message that harming them is unacceptable. We therefore hope you’ll take our suggestion on board,” she wrote.

Crabs and lobsters were recently recognised as sentient in UK law, under the scope of the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill.

However, existing fishing methods have not been affected and there has been no direct impact or change on shellfish-catching or restaurant kitchen practice.