Nautiluses are ancient cephalopods that have survived largely unchanged for hundreds of millions of years but now face threats from shell trade and deep-water fishing. Their welfare and conservation status are concerning.
Nautilus welfare in the context of shell trade involves capture in baited traps set at depth, followed by drowning or suffocation as traps are raised to the surface. The welfare of nautiluses during this process — subjected to pressure changes, handling, and death outside their pressure-adapted environment — involves suffering that scales with their capacity for experience, which remains scientifically uncertain but warrants precautionary consideration. Their slow reproduction means population recovery from overharvest is extremely slow, compounding individual welfare harm with population-level impact.