The Japanese scallop is one of the world's most important bivalve aquaculture species, and evidence of mollusc welfare capacity is reshaping production considerations.
Japanese scallop welfare sits at the frontier of invertebrate animal welfare science. While scallops lack a centralised brain, they have distributed nervous systems and show clear nociceptive and escape responses to harmful stimuli. Whether these responses are accompanied by subjective experience remains an open scientific question, but the growing precautionary consensus in animal welfare science suggests treating potential suffering seriously. Processing welfare - including how scallops are removed from their shells and killed - is an area where improved practices could reduce potential suffering at minimal cost. Maintaining clean, well-oxygenated water and minimising unnecessary handling are welfare interventions applicable regardless of the ultimate resolution of invertebrate sentience questions.