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Declawing of crabs
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<p>Declawing of crabs is the process whereby one or both claws of a crab are manually detached before the return of the live crab to the water, as practiced in the fishing industry worldwide. Crabs commonly have the ability to <a href="/facts/Limb_regeneration/DHkSrakp">regenerate lost limbs</a> after a period of time, and thus declawing is viewed as a potentially more sustainable method of fishing. Due to the time it takes for a crab to regrow lost limbs, however, whether or not the practice represents truly sustainable fishing is still a point of scientific inquiry, and the ethics of declawing are also subject to debates over <a href="/facts/Pain_in_crustaceans/Netmeb15">pain in crustaceans</a>. </p><p>While not always fatal, declawing can substantially alter the chances of a crab's survival in the wild. Declawing is a controversial practice; some jurisdictions have banned it partially or completely, while others only allow the crab's claws to be harvested commercially. </p>