Seafood consumption involves animals across a wide sentience spectrum; making welfare-conscious choices requires understanding species-specific welfare science.
Seafood welfare is enormously complex — some species almost certainly experience little or no suffering while others clearly warrant significant welfare consideration. Bivalves are generally considered to have minimal pain capacity; decapod crustaceans are increasingly recognized as sentient; fish have substantial nervous systems supporting pain experience. Matching consumption choices to welfare evidence allows harm reduction without complete abstention.