Every year, humans slaughter trillions of crabs, lobsters, and shrimp, and abuse millions more in the pet and vivisection industries. Crustaceans are the most killed animals for food, yet among the least protected. Crab and Lobster Advocacy Worldwide (CLAW) is here to change that.
CLAW is a non-profit organization turning the tides for crustaceans. We work to end large-scale suffering of decapods used as food, pets, and research subjects through powerful exposés that change the narrative about these complex animals and hard-hitting campaigns targeting abusive companies and institutions.
Our History
Our campaign work started back in 2014 after we published our first op-ed about the suffering of hermit crabs who are captured from the wild and sold in tiny plastic cages as souvenirs on East Coast beaches, destining them to die slowly of suffocation in mere months (rather than thriving over their 30-year lifespan). The response to this article was enormous, and it blossomed into a full-fledged campaign called the Plight of the Hermies.
Over the next 5 years, Plight of the Hermies, anchored in Virginia Beach and led entirely by volunteers, held dozens of protests outside of Sunsations, one of the largest chains selling hermit crabs as souvenirs (including with a giant inflatable crab!). We handed out thousands of leaflets and turned away countless people from buying these complex animals. We also tabled at local fairs, wrote letters to the editor, collected pledges from over a dozen businesses not to sell crabs, and quickly shut down a terrifying local hermit crab race.
Our work culminated in the delivery of a 60,000-signature petition to Sunsations HQ, an investigative video finding dead and dying crabs in their stores, and a billboard campaign reaching over 1 million people in the coastal region.
In 2024, it was time to rally our campaigning, investigating, writing, and grassroots organizing work to kick off a new chapter, one that aims to stop crustacean suffering on an even greater scale. Beyond the hermit crab pet trade, trillions of crabs, lobsters, and shrimps are killed each year, primarily for food—and they are afforded no welfare protections.
Our first campaigns are taking on some of the largest greenwashers of the shrimp industry and the live-boiling of lobsters and crabs, two areas where we see great need—and great opportunity. Head over to our campaign page to get involved today!
Our Team
Laura Lee Cascada, Founder
Laura (she/her/hers) is a certified mermaid and freediver with a deep connection to our oceans—and an even deeper drive to make waves of change. She has been campaigning for environmental and animal protection for her entire career, with achievements including thwarting over a dozen “ag-gag” bills with PETA, stopping cruel “nose boning” of chickens at top US poultry companies with Animal Outlook, and shifting hundreds of thousands of meals to plant-based through Better Food Foundation’s DefaultVeg program. She founded the Plight of the Hermies campaign in 2014, which led to CLAW’s creation. Laura is also a published author and runs a blog, the Every Animal Project, that tells powerful, true animal stories—including an investigation of Hawaii’s octopus farm that led to its shutdown. She has a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University in environmental science and policy and lives in Virginia with her pig, cats, fish, and millipedes. (Read more and connect on LinkedIn.)
Phoenix Huber, Board Member
Phoenix (she/her/hers) is a self-help junkie and social justice geek on a quest to bridge the personal and collective. She is a writer known for having led communications on a Denver ballot campaign to ban slaughterhouses and fur sales. She’s worked for Beyond Meat, California’s Prop 12, and an animal rights conference. While facing discrimination as a trans girl in middle school, Phoenix dissected a squid and pig for class assignments and realized her mission was to advocate nonviolence and respect for all. As an adult, she seeks to learn about every marginalized or misunderstood experience to reflect a more complete vision of peace in her meditations and conversations. She believes compassion for crustaceans to be a key missing piece and is overjoyed to partner with CLAW! Find her candid inspired articles on Medium, or check out her website where she offers her unconditional love and deep dream support as a Certified Clear Beliefs Coach.
Mercedes Howard, Board Member
Mercedes Howard (she/her/hers) advocates for the rights of all living beings. Her efforts include co-organizing VegFests, leading action teams, writing for causes, educating on ethics/environment/health, tabling, lobbying, leafleting, protesting, and sharing food. Community, intersectional activism, food sovereignty and anti-racism are priorities in her approach. She is one among many in a biodiverse sanctuary where she celebrates the Earth’s abundance through veganic growing. She envisions a world of justice and freedom for all and offers her actions to what is behind that vision: the interconnectedness of life.
Media Coverage
