Ostrovegans and Bivalvegans: Can Vegans Eat Oysters and Mussels?

Oysters are regarded as a delicacy in many cultures and are widely enjoyed as a seafood dish across the world.

Oysters’ vegan status is the subject of a heated argument. On the one hand, some contend that bivalves such as oysters are ethically comparable to other animals and should not be consumed.

Others assert there is no ethical problem with ingesting oysters so long as they are harvested ethically.

This article will discuss both sides of the debate and examine regardless of oysters can be termed vegan.

What Are Oysters?

Oysters, along with clams, scallops, and mussels, are bivalve invertebrate mollusks that inhabit salty or brackish water environments, where freshwater meets seawater.

They have a plump interior body without a skeletal structure and are wrapped in two hard outer shells held together by a strong ligament.

Oysters are members of the Mollusca phylum, which also contains snails, octopuses, and squids.

They are renowned for filtering contaminants from the water and sustaining the ecology. In addition, they combine, producing rocky reefs near the shores that serve as homes for other marine animals.

How Do Oysters Get Harvested?

Hand-collection and dredging are the two primary procedures that are utilized throughout the oyster harvest.

Dredging is the process of pulling a mound of oysters and collecting the oysters with a big machine.

This practice can cause harm to the bottom and frequently result mostly in the fatality of crabs, fish, and other unintended animals.

Oysters can also be harvested by hand, which is a practice that is considered to be friendlier to the environment. Utilizing a pair of tongs or a rake, oysters are collected from the bottom.

Collection by hand is typically employed in locations wherever dredging can be located prohibited or might be over regarding the planet.

After providing background on what an oyster is and how it is collected, we will examine why some vegans believe it is morally acceptable to devour oysters while others disagree.

What Does Ostrovegan or Bivalvegan Mean?

Vegan refers to a person who does not consume or utilize animal products, typically for ethical and/or nutritional reasons.

The prefix “ostro” in ostrovegan is derived from the Latin word for oyster since ostrovegans are vegans who consume oysters.

Nearly all ostrovegans feel at ease when it comes to eating mussels, and a significant number of them also consume scallops and clams.

All of these basic creatures are bivalve mollusks, characterized by a two-part shell that hinges over a soft invertebrate body. Consequently, the majority of ostrovegans are also bivalvegans.

The rationale for becoming an ostrovegan is that bivalves lack a central nervous system and, as a result, are unlikely to understand pain as animals feel it.

Additionally, bivalves include elements that might be beneficial to a vegan diet, including vitamin B12, which is typically supplemented by vegans. This is the logic behind why they consume bivalves.

On the other hand, some vegans disagree with the ostrovegan movement with two arguments:

1. People assert that veganism involves not eating animal products and that bivalves are animals.
2. Because there isn’t enough evidence to know enough to be sure whether bivalves experience pain, we should exercise caution and refrain from consuming them.

Different Levels of Ostrovegans

Among the people that call themselves “ostrovegans,” there are still differences. Some ostrovegans will exclusively consume oysters and mussels, while others may also consume clams and scallops as part of their diet.

The primary difference between oysters, mussels, and clams and scallops is that oysters and mussels are immobile, while clams and scallops are somewhat more motile.

The contrast between sessile and motile animals is significant for ostrovegans since there is greater evidence that sessile creatures do not experience pain.

In any case, ostrovegans who only consume oysters and mussels may be uncomfortable with the name “bivalves” as it includes the motile bivalves (clams and scallops) that they also remove from their diet.

What Are The Reasons That Vegans Support Eating Oysters?

There are three reasons why vegans are permitted to consume oysters:

1. Oysters Do Not Experience Pain

Usually, animal consciousness is assessed by the capacity to experience agony and endure suffering.

The key justification for oysters being vegan is because of they do not suffer because they lack a brain and a basic nervous system. It is thus assumed that they’re unable to perceive or process similar suffering manner as other animals.

Vegans make the same case to explain their consumption of plants.

2. Oyster Farming Is Sustainable

Each year, billions of invertebrates that live in water are consumed. This is not just harmful to fish.

Diverse methods of fishing may result in tenfold more deaths and a complete upheaval of marine biological diversity.

That is another reason for vegans not to consume seafood but oysters are not harvested from the wilderness, along with their native population is not harmed.

Some may even argue for oyster farms contribute to the improvement of water quality. They perform a crucial function in water filtration and clarity improvement.

Consequently of their filtration, oysters also contribute to the improvement of marine animal habitats.

3. Nutritional Benefits

Oysters are rich in vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B12, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin D, zinc, and selenium, which vegans do not get enough of regularly.

In addition to being low in calories, they have a high protein content.

The protein content of one little oyster is 5 grams, whereas a large oyster contains 10 grams of protein.

Also, oysters are renowned for their aphrodisiac qualities.

What Are the Reasons Vegans Don’t Support Eating Oysters?

1. Oysters May Sense Pain

Some researchers suggest that mollusks are more likely than previously believed to possess some degree of consciousness.

Oysters do have intestines and cardiovascular organs, but no brain which is the counterargument to the central nervous system theory.

Ganglia is found in oysters, which process information without a brain, allowing them to sense their surroundings to some degree.

Oysters probably experience pain and misery when they are plucked from the ocean or when they are farmed.

Although there is not yet sufficient evidence to reach a conclusion based on scientific research, this issue must nonetheless be taken into consideration.

2. It Is a Type of Animal

Oysters are classified as animals, which is another frequent cause people feel they are not vegan.

Oysters are a member of the mollusks, which also include slugs, octopuses, snails, and many more species.

There are more than 120,000 mollusk species with identical genetic compositions. While some creatures have brains, others do not.

Others, such as oysters are less active and cannot move and make decisions consciously.

The similarity of oysters to many other animals is acceptable if scientists classify the species together.

Therefore, it may contradictory to claim that it is good to eat oysters, but harmful to eat other mollusks.

Word of Caution

While most people enjoy eating raw oysters today, even popular restaurants have raw oyster bars.

Consuming oysters and undercooked seafood may put you at risk of an infection called Vibriosis, caused by Vibrio bacteria.

These vibrio bacteria are found in oyster habitats, namely in coastal waters. Because oysters filter and feed the water, bacteria can concentrate in their tissues.

This intensity may cause the person to get sick due to viruses and bacteria that may occur by consuming raw or undercooked oysters.

Most Vibrio infections caused by the consumption of undercooked or raw oysters cause diarrhea and vomiting in the person.

In addition, it can cause serious infections, blood circulation, and severe skin lesions, such as those caused by Vibrio vulnificus, which can cause serious reactions in the body.

Most people infected with vulnificus require intensive care or limb amputation. Of these infections, 15% to 30% are fatal.

Conclusion

Oysters and other similar sorts of aquatic life have been the subject of a dispute regarding their vegan status for some time.

Strong opinions exist on both sides, and some argue that whether or not oysters are vegan depends on how you perceive them as creatures.

Ostrovegans are commonly used to describe vegans who still consume bivalve invertebrates such as oysters, clams, and scallops.

Because oysters lack both a brain and a basic nervous system, there is a possibility for them not to experience pain. This is the primary argument why oysters may be safely consumed way as other plants.

However, some research shows that the sensibility of other invertebrate mollusks, such as cephalopods, and the fact that oysters are related to snails and octopuses imply that oysters should not be considered nonsentient.

The second strong argument comes from whether oysters can be categorized as animals or not.

If the point of view you feel comfortable with is in the direction of consuming oysters, it is useful to keep in mind that consuming oysters can lead to the risk of an infection called Vibriosis.

Pollo pescetarian diet is another hot topic these days, so feel free to read our article covering it if you found this useful and interesting.