Do Oysters, Mussels and Clams Feel Pain?

“If veganism is about avoiding animal suffering, then it should be okay to eat bivalves like oysters, mussels, and clams since they don’t have a brain to feel pain.”

Oysters, mussels, and clams are all bivalves. They are quite unique within the animal kingdom due to their lack of a central nervous system and brain, meaning, based on our current understanding, they do not feel pain. There are vegans, known as ostreovegans, who choose to include them in their diet for this reason.

Let’s dive into the world of bivalves to see where they belong.

Sentenced because of non-sentience

The definition of veganism, which can be found here, states that vegans avoid any exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals. Taxonomically (study of classification of organisms), bivalves are categorised within the animal kingdom.

However, when we look at the underlying ethical reason for veganism (logically to me anyway), it is to avoid being complicit in inflicting unnecessary suffering on any sentient beings. The keyword here is sentient. If bivalves don’t suffer pain the way mammals or other sentient animals do, they are, in a way, akin to plants such as the Venus flytrap, which also responds to stimuli without experiencing subjective pain.

Bivalves have the hardware to react to physical stimuli, but they don’t have a central nervous system or a brain to process these signals as pain.

Furthermore, oysters and mussels are not motile, meaning they cannot move on their own to escape potential threats. Evolutionary biologists often view this as a crucial indicator when considering an organism’s capacity for suffering. Evolving the ability to feel pain isn’t biologically useful if you can’t flee from the danger.

All of this has led prominent animal rights philosopher Peter Singer to state that he occasionally consumes bivalves.

If it’s okay for him, is it okay for other vegans?

Counter-Clams

The majority of vegans still won’t eat bivalves for a few good reasons:

Better to be safe than sorry

We didn’t even know fish felt pain until very recently. We don’t know for absolute certain that bivalves don’t feel pain either. Oysters and mussels close their shells tightly when threatened. They may not have a centralised brain, but they do have a diffuse system of nerve cells. If we discover in the future that they are sentient in their own unique way, it is better to err on the side of caution.

They cannot advocate for themselves, so placing the burden of proof on them to demonstrate sentience means our human ignorance is being weaponised to justify their exploitation.

Dredging up Environmental Concerns

Bivalve farming is great for the environment if it’s done right. Oysters and mussels can filter seawater, leaving the ecosystem cleaner than they found it. However, with our current industrial standards, there are still some significant issues:

• Increase of Disease: Disease can spread more easily in dense farms, wiping out entire oyster populations.
• Invasive Species: The transfer of oysters for farming can introduce invasive species to new areas, potentially disrupting local ecosystems.
• Toxic Accumulation: Oysters can accumulate toxins and heavy metals from their environment, which poses a risk to the oysters and the humans consuming them.

And for scallops, the wild dredging process can be extremely destructive to the seabed, obliterating habitats and causing significant ecological damage.

I’m not pearl-fect

Logically, based on the science we have right now, I think consuming bivalves is acceptable for me. They also provide essential nutrients like Vitamin B12 and zinc that are sometimes harder to source on a purely plant-based diet. When future evidence is presented that challenges their non-sentience, I would be open to revisiting this stance and drawing a hard line.

In reality, I would only eat sustainably farmed bivalves, which is a lot of effort to track down for something I never even ate before going vegan. Also, I know the vast majority of vegans do not eat bivalves. In solidarity with them, and to keep the core message of the movement strong and uncomplicated, I’m not planning to make bivalves a regular part of my diet or actively advertise it.