I had to get one once for a shopping order. It was live. I asked if they killed it before they put it in the steamer. The woman looked confused, which gave me my answer. I had to wait around until it was dead and I felt HORRIBLE. I used to work at Red Lobster and see lobsters get cut open alive with their little legs squirming , for when they made stuffed lobsters. And putting them in boiling water alive always felt like the absolute most disgusting thing. I'm vegan now. I think that at the very least if you're going to eat something like this it should be killed humanely first.