Freshwater mussels are among the most endangered animals on Earth, and farmed bivalves raise ongoing welfare questions about sentience and pain in filter-feeding molluscs.
Freshwater mussel welfare is entangled with conservation: the animals themselves may have limited sentience, but their ecosystem role — filtering water, providing habitat — supports the welfare of many other species. Bivalve farming (oysters, mussels) represents an unusually welfare-positive form of animal agriculture for human consumption, with limited pain evidence and high ecological benefit. Wild freshwater mussel conservation is a critical priority for ecosystem health and the animals that depend on clean water.