Fish Are Not Plants

On my post "Vegetarian," I spoke about the existence of certain people calling themselves vegetarians: they eat a plant-based diet, but they include fish on it. These people are known as pescetarians. Thus, I thought I was going to be one, but that changed when I learned that fish are actually not needed as food.

First of all, a vegetarian is a person who does not eat animals. As far as I am concerned, fish have always been cold-blooded water-dwelling animals. Indeed, since they have a nervous system and pain receptors, fish feel pain and suffer like all other animals.

Nowadays, almost 59% of fish consumed as food worldwide are now intensively raised on fish farms (also known as aquaculture). Industrial fishing is responsible for some of the most environmentally damaging practices affecting our world. Fish farming causes pollution, endangers wildlife and requires the use of wild-caught fish to feed those being intensively reared.

In fact, many species –including tuna, plaice, monkfish, and cod– are under threat of extinction from loss of habitat and over-fishing. Other wildlife is endangered too, as trawling the ocean floors for fish destroys the fragile underwater ecosystem. Whales, dolphins, and porpoises are all under threat due to fishing. An estimated 40% of the global marine catch is by-catch, and unwanted and unusable species discarded dead.

Eating oily fish is often promoted for containing high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. However, the recommended intake of oily fish is limited, because it contains pollutants such as dioxins, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and mercury. Surveys have also shown that other fish and crabs may have similar levels of pollutants as oily fish.

In conclusion, vegetarians do not eat fish, but they do enjoy one of the healthiest diets around. A balanced vegetarian diet easily meets the government’s recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables every day and includes plenty of complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Omega 3 fatty acids are found in canola oil, flax seeds, and walnuts and, in smaller amounts, from eggs and milk. Vegetarians who particularly want to boost their omega 3 intakes can choose algae or flaxseed oil supplements.

You can read more about it here.