Buying a lobster from a store and setting it free could do more harm than good. This is because you might increase demand to the extent that the supply goes up by more than 1, and it wastes your time.
On a small scale:
| Do buy a lobster & save it | Don't buy a lobster & not save it |
|---|---|
| 1 Lobster saved per person | 1 Lobster not saved per person |
| ∼1 Lobster captured due to increased demand per person | ∼1 Lobster not captured due to increased demand per person |
| Lobster store gets money | Lobster store doesn't get money |
| You and other participants lose some time from your days | You and other participants don't lose some time from your days |
Also, doing it on a large scale adds another component. It might encourage people to recognize the rights of non-human animals, but it might also drive demand and increase the popularity of lobster stores, meaning it might do more harm than good.
On a large scale:
| Do buy a lobster & save it | Don't buy a lobster & not save it |
|---|---|
| 1 Lobster saved per person | 1 Lobster not saved per person |
| ∼1 Lobster captured due to increased demand per person | ∼1 Lobster not captured due to increased demand per person |
| Lobster store gets money | Lobster store doesn't get money |
| You and other participants lose some time from your days | You and other participants don't lose some time from your days |
| It might produce a higher view of non-human animals in the public eye | Won't produce a higher view of non-human animals in the public eye |
| It might build publicity for lobster stores, increasing demand. | It won't build publicity for lobster stores, increasing demand. |
This... seems like a pretty big deal, actually. The store still needs the same number of lobsters to serve to customers who order lobster to eat it, so... how exactly would they gather one less lobster than usual? What's the actual plan, here?
That's a good point, and applies to all of them. I think it would be that it encourages people to recognize the rights of non-human animals, but it might just drive demand and increase the popularity of lobster stores, meaning it might do more harm than good. Should I delete this post or edit it to mention to not do this for this reason?
Maybe edit your post? I don't know, it's really up to you.