Scallops (Pecten maximus) are increasingly recognised as potentially sentient animals, with capture by dredging, post-harvest handling, and shucking practices raising significant welfare questions.
Scientific evidence increasingly suggests scallops have nociceptive systems capable of detecting and responding to damaging stimuli. Dredge capture causes physical trauma through mechanical contact. Post-capture handling involves emersion, temperature extremes, and eventual shucking while potentially conscious. Application of the precautionary principle to bivalve welfare — given uncertainty about their capacity for suffering — supports development of more humane collection and processing methods. Aquaculture of scallops allows greater control over these conditions compared to wild dredge capture.