North American freshwater mussels are among the most imperiled fauna on Earth, with over 70% of species threatened, endangered, or extinct due to habitat degradation affecting the river ecosystems they filter and maintain.
Freshwater mussel welfare is scientifically uncertain given their limited nervous system organization, but their role as ecosystem engineers whose decline cascades through aquatic communities makes their conservation a welfare priority for the many species that depend on clean water maintained by mussel filtration. The mussels themselves experience the physiological stress of declining water quality and substrate loss. Conservation programs that restore clean water and appropriate fish communities address the conditions that enable mussel populations to thrive, with benefits for the entire freshwater ecosystem.