Abalone are slow-growing, high-value marine molluscs farmed in several countries. Their welfare status is uncertain, but farming conditions create clear physiological stressors.
Abalone welfare occupies uncertain territory between bivalves (likely not sentient) and fish (likely sentient). Their nervous systems are more complex than bivalves but much simpler than vertebrates. They respond to tissue damage and show behavioral withdrawal from noxious stimuli — evidence consistent with nociception though not necessarily conscious pain experience. The precautionary welfare principle suggests minimizing potential suffering where it costs little to do so. Thermal stress from water temperature fluctuations causes measurable physiological responses in abalone and contributes to disease susceptibility. Disease outbreaks in intensive culture cause mass mortality events with unknown welfare implications. Humane killing methods are rarely considered for abalone, though live processing while fully conscious is common. As our understanding of mollusc neuroscience improves, welfare standards should be revisited.