The welfare status of clams and other bivalves remains scientifically uncertain, but precautionary handling and harvest standards are increasingly being applied.
Whether clams experience suffering remains genuinely uncertain. The absence of a centralised nervous system makes pain experience as in vertebrates unlikely, but aversive responses to stimuli are documented. The precautionary principle suggests minimising unnecessary stress during handling and aerial exposure. As welfare science advances and public concern about invertebrate sentience grows, standards for bivalve handling are likely to become more explicit.