Fish – A critical part of the conversation

#Act4
Aquatics

Fish – A critical part of the conversation

13 November 2019
News
Maybe you’ve heard some of these sentiments — or all of them. Or maybe you’ve never really thought a lot about fish.

Animal-rights activist Peter Singer described fish as the “forgotten victims on our plate.” Fish are too often overlooked in vegan activism, too. Our outreach focuses largely on land animals. This makes some sense; our western diet is heavier on meat, eggs, and dairy than on sea life. Also, cows and pigs are more visible to us and easier to empathize with.

But here’s the truth: Fish are exploited in greater numbers than any other group of animals — and yet they are not covered by animal welfare laws. Given the staggering amount of catch and bycatch, the environmental impact, and a fish’s documented ability to feel pain and suffer, advocating for marine life is more important than ever.

We’ve put together some of the essential talking points about fishing. Yes — there’s a lot of data, but don’t get put off! The numbers are here to illustrate the scale of this issue. We hope this will inspire you to advocate for fish in your outreach. We’ve included some activism ideas at the end that may stir some of your own.