Some people who give up eating meat and poultry continue to eat fish in the belief that it is a healthy food and that fishing is less cruel and environmentally destructive than farming. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Fish that are caught in trawl nets are often crushed to death under the weight of others or their eyes may balloon out (see photo above) and their swim bladders burst as they are hauled up from deep water, where the pressure is much higher.
In 2004, the UK had 7,030 fishing vessels which landed 654,000 tonnes of fish valued at £513 million (Defra 2005). The global wild fish catch stands at about 90 million tonnes with a further 42 million tonnes coming from fish farms. Wild fish catches have passed their peak because the fish populations are collapsing across the globe.
What can I do?
The best way to end the suffering of animals is to go vegan - or at least start in that direction. We can help you do just that. Please also share this page with your friends and family so that they know how animals suffer and how they can help end that suffering.
Please also consider a donation to help us continue to expose animal abuse. If you like what Viva! does and want to become part of our work why not join today?