The cold puts them into semi-hibernation. And it makes them easier to handle.
That's a good tip on cooling the lobsters down. This thread made me so hungry I went to one of those sites that ships live lobsters to order a couple.
Back when I worked as a commercial fisherman, part of my job was whacking halibut on the snout with a sawed-off baseball bat to stun them so I could gut and clean them. Big halibut fight like all get out.
Maybe WF would have preferred we use a cattle prod.