Freshwater mussels are among the most endangered animals in North America, with their decline representing both conservation and ecosystem welfare losses.
Freshwater mussels occupy an interesting place in welfare discussions given their limited neurological complexity, but their ecological role creates welfare implications for countless other species. The collapse of mussel communities removes critical filtration, habitat structure, and food webs that support fish and other animals throughout river systems. Mussel conservation is therefore an indirect welfare intervention for the broader aquatic community, even setting aside questions of mussel experience itself.