Freshwater mussels are among the most endangered animal groups globally, and their conservation raises questions about the welfare of animals that may have limited sentience but face extinction threats.
Freshwater mussels present a fascinating case at the intersection of conservation and welfare. As bivalves, their capacity for conscious suffering is genuinely uncertain based on current science. However, their conservation represents a compelling case for protecting animal species at the brink of extinction, both for their intrinsic value and for the ecosystem services they provide that benefit countless other species whose sentience is less contested. Losing freshwater mussels from river systems removes a fundamental ecosystem engineering function that shapes the habitat quality for fish, invertebrates, and the wildlife that depends on healthy rivers. Their conservation is thus a wildlife welfare intervention at ecosystem scale.