UNSAFE TO EAT PLUNDERING THE OCEANS FISHING HURTS FISH

Living in a thick liquid atmosphere, fish readily Over the last half century, the fishing industry has Based on a review of over 500 research papers,
absorb the pollution in the world’s waterways. developed technological "advances" to increase biologists reported in the August 2003 issue of
Research shows that fish can accumulate up to its catch, which now exceeds 100 million tons Fish & Fisheries that fish are highly intelligent and
nine million times the concentration of toxins (like annually3. Fisheries use sonar and satellite- socially sophisticated: they can recognize
PCBs and DDT) from the waters in which they tracking equipment to locate schools of fish, and individual shoal mates, learn from each other,
live. When people eat fish, they ingest these cover miles of ocean with gigantic driftnets that employ long-term memory, and even use tools.
deadly poisons and store them in their fat cells. lay waste to complex deep-sea ecosystems. Other scientific studies confirm that fish have a
Fish also absorb mercury that is released as toxic Another common technique is “longline fishing,” complex nervous system and can feel physical
emissions from coal-burning power plants. in which a fishing line up to 60 miles long is pain5. Fishing causes unnecessary suffering by
The most dangerous concentrations accumulate embedded with thousands of hooks and trailed either violently removing fish from their natural
in the flesh of large behind a single boat. These indiscriminate habitat or raising them in unnatural and
predators like shark, methods are to the ocean what clear-cutting is to unhealthy conditions; in either case, their lives
swordfish and forests, or what strip-mining for minerals is to the are taken so that a human can eat their flesh.
albacore tuna — some earth.
of the most widely “Fish are sensitive, they have personalities,
consumed fish. The Species that are not economically valuable (such they hurt when they’re wounded.”
FDA and EPA now as sea turtles, dolphins, and sea lions) are
~ Dr. Sylvia Earle, former chief scientist of the National
warn pregnant discarded: over 27 million tons of aquatic animals Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
women and nursing are thrown, dead or dying, back into the ocean
mothers that eating every year3. Other species like seals and birds are Some argue that “fish eat other fish — they’re
too much of these fish hunted and killed because they would otherwise going to die anyway, so we may as well eat
puts their unborn consume lucrative fish, eating into the fisheries’ them!” However:
children at risk for profits. - Ecologically, “fish eating other fish” does not
neurological damage1. cause species to go extinct — pollution and
Overfishing and wasteful slaughter have ravaged overfishing do.
“Farmed” fish are no healthier to eat, since they marine ecosystems to the point where many - Fish suffer more from being caught in nets or on
swim in filthy water and are so sick they must be species are declining rapidly and some even face hooks than by other
fed massive doses of antibiotics to be kept alive. imminent extinction. A recent study that analyzed fish. While being
People consume these chemicals when they eat data from five ocean basins collected since the eaten by a predator is
farmed fish. 1950s reports that 90% of each of the world's a relatively quick
large ocean species (including cod, halibut, tuna, process lasting minu-
Nutritionally, fish is lower in fat than other swordfish and marlin) have disappeared from the
types of meat, but it also packs about twice the tes if not seconds,
world's oceans in recent decades4. fish can survive for
cholesterol per calorie as pork or beef. (Plant
foods, by contrast, contain no cholesterol.) several hours after
Aquaculture (intensive breeding of fish on being caught in nets
Cholesterol buildup in the arteries is the main
“farms”) has been touted as the solution to or on hooks.
cause of cardiovascular disease, the number one
chronically depleted stocks, and produces about
killer in the U.S., taking more lives than the five Humans don’t need to eat sea creatures to
next most common causes of death combined2.
36 million tons of fish per year3. Crowded into
caged enclosures, “farmed” fish live in water that survive, but certain aquatic predator species do.
is infested with bacteria which forms from a In fact, we don’t need to eat animals at all to live
Omega-3, an essential fatty acid that regulates
surplus of excrement. This can trigger algal long and healthy lives. It is this realization that
body tissue functioning, is present in both fish
and some plant foods. For example, flax is a rich blooms that suffocate or poison the fish. The leads compassionate people to ask, is killing other
plant-based source of Omega-3 that can be found fecal waste and the chemicals used to treat the living creatures for food ethically defensible when
in health food stores or purchased inexpensively water then contaminate fragile coastal estuaries we can so easily choose to eat a delicious plant-
on the internet. where aquaculture operations are often built. based diet?
 Visit our website for great recipes and more
information on transitioning to a vegetarian diet.
WHAT TO EAT
Also sign up for our
Veggie Mentor Program
Not only
are there Bay Area Vegetarians
plenty of PO Box 371215
delectable Montara, CA 94037
options www.bayareaveg.org
among the
fruits,
vegetables,
grains,
beans and
nuts of the
world, but
you can also find veggie “fish” made of soy or
other non-animal ingredients at most health food Fish is often the last animal that people eat
stores and on the menus of many vegetarian on their way to becoming vegetarian. Maybe
restaurants. You can also make foods on your people eat fish because they think it's a
own that taste like fish. "healthy" meat, unaware that it can actually
If you still eat fish, please think about the be harmful. Many don't realize that
information in this brochure and consider industrialized fishing is decimating the ocean,
reducing the amount of fish you eat. Better yet, or that fish feel pain just like humans and
you can become a vegetarian, improving your other animals do.
own health and conserving natural resources REFERENCES:
while reducing the amount of suffering in the Incredulous meat eaters therefore often ask
world every time you eat. 1. What You Need to Know About Mercury in Fish vegetarians, “But you eat fish, don’t you?”
and Shellfish - 2004 EPA and FDA Advice For
Being a vegetarian is not as difficult as most
The answer is no, vegetarians don’t eat any
Women Who Might Become Pregnant, Women Who
people think. As an advocacy organization, Bay are Pregnant, Nursing Mothers, Young Children animals, regardless of whether they walk, fly,
Area Vegetarians is committed to promoting the (March 2004). or swim. The reasons people choose to be
many benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle. Through vegetarian vary, but tend to focus on
our email list serve, you can connect with the 2. American Heart Association. Heart and Stroke concern for their own health and the survival
local vegetarian community and stay informed of Statistical Update: 2004 Update. Dallas: American of others (animals, the planet, starving
activities throughout the Bay Area. If you’ve Heart Association. people).
already decided to go vegetarian or vegan and 3. Amounts of aquatic animals caught/discarded/raised
need support, our mentorship program offers every year worldwide -
Inside this brochure you will find evidence of
direct, personalized guidance from experienced www.yannarthusbertrand.com/us/clterre/part8/chap5/cl the dangers that eating fish poses to people,
vegans to help you make the transition with ease t01.htm the environment, and the fish themselves.
and at your own pace. Membership in Bay Area Please take a few minutes to consider these
4. Myers, R & Worm, B. Net losses: Industrialized
Vegetarians is free, and signing up is easy! You crucial issues with an open mind.
fishing hits fish stocks. Nature, 15 May 2003.
can learn more about us and vegetarianism by
visiting our website. Thanks for your concern! 5. Rose, J. The Neurobehavioral Nature of Fishes and
the Question of Awareness and Pain. Reviews in
– Mat Thomas Fisheries Science, 101-38 (2003).
www.bayareaveg.org