Freshwater mussels are among the most endangered animals on Earth, with their decline damaging river ecosystems and raising questions about their welfare and moral status.
The welfare status of freshwater mussels is genuinely uncertain given their simple nervous systems. However, their ecological importance means their conservation is an important objective regardless of their moral status. The catastrophic declines of freshwater mussel communities represent a major biodiversity loss with cascading ecosystem effects. Conservation breeding and river restoration programmes that recover mussel populations benefit entire river ecosystems and the species that depend on clean water.