A common question among vegans but among “regular people” as well when it comes to mollusks and bivalves is whether they, such as clams, oysters and mussels, feel pain and whether they are vegan friendly/accepted as vegan or not.
Let this page quickly quell your curiosity, once and for all!
“Are things painful for a clam, or is it all just a sham?”
And let’s start with whether they feel pain or not:
Can Clams, Mussels And Oysters (Bivalves/Mollusks) Feel Pain?
I’ve chosen to include them all together as one, mussels, clams and oysters, since they’re so similar but also because the consensus on whether they feel pain or not is largely the same.
This includes pain when they’re eaten, boiled, opened and when you remove the pearl.
And to answer the question, these bivalve mollusks have a very primitive non-centralized nervous system and probably don’t feel pain, meaning we believe (most scientists agree on this) they don’t but can’t know for sure, and if they did feel pain, it would probably not be experienced in any way similar to how we as humans experience it (probably not as painful, that is).
So, there you have it on the pain question, but as to whether they are vegan or not, there may be more to the picture than just pain..
“These bivalves probably don’t feel pain.”
Do Bivalve Mollusks Such As Oysters, Clams And Mussels Have Brains, A Central Nervous System, Eyes?
As for the central nervous system question, we already sort of answered this, in that they do have a simple and primitive nervous system, but not a central nervous system.
But do they have brains?
The answer is the same here, i.e. no, oysters, mussels and clams do not have brains.
And for eyes?
Eyes they do have, some even have tens or hundreds of them, so yes, oysters, mussels, clams, scallops etc, do have eyes.
But now for something that could be “seen” as even more important..
“No brain, no pain? No central nervous system either, but they do have eyes, at least.”
Are Bivalves And Mollusks Such As Oysters, Clams And Mussels Conscious Or Sentient Beings And Can They Feel Emotion?
The opinions are actually very mixed on this, but the overall consensus is the same as with whether they could feel pain or not, as in, they are probably not sentient beings and thus not much more sentient than a plant is, but we can’t be sure at the moment, so they may be.
They can feel or detect certain sensations and stimuli and respond to them, but there’s almost certainly no conscious thought and thus they aren’t “thinking” or planning for the future, they likely just “are”.
Bivalves do elicit stress responses to negative stimuli or to predators, but as far as emotions go, they’re unlikely to feel emotion, at least not in any way similar to the way we do.
And now to the final piece of the puzzle and question, which you may or may not already know the answer to..
“Probably not sentient either.”
Are Bivalves/Mollusks (Oysters, Clams And Mussels) Vegan?
Let me be frank with you (you can handle it) in saying that no, clams, oysters and mussels and oysters are not vegan.
“Clams, mussels and oysters are not vegan (sorry!).”
Sad to burst your bubble if you were hoping to get away with some actual meat from the sea!
Because, even if they’re not sentient, have brains, a central nervous system or feel pain (again, we can’t know these things), they’re still living beings and animals.
That said, if you were to make an exception for some kind of meat or animal protein, at some point, then oysters, clams or mussels (aside from the foods vegetarians eat such as eggs, dairy and possibly other types of seafood) would probably be the best way to go.
Some vegetarians, and even vegans (but are they really then, vegan that is, any longer?) eat them and might call themselves “pescatarian vegans”.
But hey, I’m certainly not one to judge, since I’m not vegan myself (I’ve tried it though for about a month or so, but felt worse), and consider bivalves such as oysters, clams and mussels to be true superfoods, healthwise, with a definite place in a healthy diet.
They’re also very high in B12, a nutrient hard to get on a vegan diet and that you may have to supplement with, especially clams being the best natural source of the vitamin there is, and thus another case for why perhaps clams then, may be worth it at times even for a vegan.
But since there again are supplements (B12 is even among my recommended supplements for anyone/non-vegans as well), you still might as well not of course.
And if you’re looking for good and healthy products for these mollusk superfoods, check out my articles on the best canned clams and the best canned oysters (good testosterone booster), recommending the best ones without any toxic seed and vegetable oils.
(Here’s a list of the specific seed oils to avoid as well as the foods that they’re in).
They make for great healthy snacks as well!
(Veganism may even reduce your masculinity).
Either way let’s recap this now:
A Quick Recap
Here’s the whole post in short:
- Bivalve mollusks including clams, oysters and mollusks most likely don’t feel pain, but we don’t know for sure, and same goes for whether they’re sentient or feel emotion or not.
- They don’t have a brain or a central nervous system, but they do have eyes, and many of them.
- Clams, oysters and mussels are not vegan, although they may be one of the “closest” animals to being vegan-friendly, if you can put it like that.
All done then!
Enjoy your bivalve mollusks, or don’t, but either way they’re really healthy :).
/Emil
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