Vegetarians
don’t eat fish and they
never have. Many things have changed since The Vegetarian Society was
founded in 1847 but two important definitions haven’t:
“
VEGETARIAN” – someone who doesn’t eat animals
“
FISH” – cold-blooded, water-dwelling animal
Fish may not appear as cute and cuddly as young lambs, however they do
feel pain and they do suffer.
The number of fish left in our
oceans has rapidly declined. Over the last century the world’s annual
fish catch has risen from 18 million to over 90 million tonnes. Sixty million
tonnes of this is destined for human
consumption, the remainder fed to livestock (fishmeal) amongst other uses(1).
The UK alone caught 610,000 tonnes of fish and shellfish in 2007(2).
An estimated 23% of the total catch is discarded (dead) as a result of
incidental capture(3). Almost half of the fish consumed as food worldwide
are now intensively raised on fish farms (aquaculture) (1).
Fishing
is threatening the world’s populations of cetaceans (whales,
dolphins and porpoises) and overfishing has left species including tuna,
plaice, monkfish and cod in danger. Fishing also affects other wildlife
such as seals, birds, turtles, mink and otters, along with coral reefs
and aquatic plants. The worldwide demand for fish continues to rise and
its impact is getting worse.
(italicised
numbers in brackets indicate references)
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