A Sydney restaurant has sparked fury after a video surfaced in which it appeared to serve a live lobster to customers.
Korean seafood restaurant, Getbawi, opened its doors in late 2024 and has quickly garnered a following as one of the few Sydney restaurants specializing in hoe, or authentic raw seafood.
But footage of what appears to be a live lobster being eaten by customers has now sparked controversy online and thrown concerns for animal welfare into the spotlight.
In a clip posted to TikTok, a customer can be seen recording two other diners eating a lobster as it appears to twitch and move its legs.
“Wow, live lobster eating,” the cameraman says before asking if it’s good.
“It’s good, it’s actually good,” replies one of the diners.
Commenters were quick to express their shock over the clip with some branding it as “straight up cruel.”
“How do you enjoy a meal while watching the poor thing suffer?,” questioned one viewer.
“This is so wrong,” wrote another.
A spokesperson from Getbawi told news.com.au that in order to ensure the freshest seafood they “take the lobster from the aquarium when the customer orders and kill it straight away.”
When asked how they respond to claims of animal cruelty a staff member replied,
“I can see how some people might think about it like that.”
He added: “It’s for the freshness, we do it for the fish too. We have live fish for our sashimi.”
The lobster is priced off market price but could set you back over $118 for every two pounds.
The Getbawi spokesperson did not agree with claims that its lobster is served alive.
Lobsters sometimes exhibit movement after death due to residual nerve and muscle activity.
When a crustacean is killed, its nervous system doesn’t always shut down instantly and its muscles may continue to contract, resulting in twitching and movements.
In Australia, the protection of shellfish under animal welfare laws is minimal.
Most states and territories exclude crustaceans from their definitions of “animals” under animal welfare legislation.
In NSW the Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 protects crustaceans, but only when they are being prepared for sale or offered for consumption in places like restaurants or wet markets.
In South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia, crustaceans are not included within the definition of animal and therefore have no protection under animal cruelty laws.
A spokesperson for PETA told news.com.au that authorities should look into the method of serving the lobster.
“The pain this lobster must’ve endured when his body was ripped apart and his delicate flesh sucked out is unimaginable. Research shows that lobsters have sophisticated nervous systems made up of ganglia throughout their bodies – this makes them extra-sensitive, meaning that they can feel every moment of their prolonged deaths when they’re immersed in boiling water or eaten alive.
“People upset by this can do their part to help lobsters and other sea animals by leaving them off their plates.”
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