Cruelty to fish

[segol]

Hello, I had a question, and I hope none of you think I am an idiot but...... ( I also hope this hasn't been discussed before)

In all the pamphlets I read, they never ever mention fish. Is their no cruelty to fish? All the things I read about cows, chickens etc are awful, but you never really hear about people sticking up specifically for the welfare of our fine swimming friends.

Now I know the purpose of veganism is to have respect for ALL animals, but do these animals ever come to mind when you speak for no animal cruelty? Or is it just that there are plenty more fish in the sea (corny yes, but I had to add that one in).

I for one am disgusted by the thought of fishing, just awflul. So if you all could tell me what you think I'd appreciate it :o)

[Kurmudgeon]

I'll dig up some articles on whether plants feel pain.

[dk_art]

Perhaps the general population aren't as swayed by fish. Also fish live natural lives until they are caught so there isn't the element of continuous bad conditions and treatment by people throughout their lives like in farming methods (of course I believe fish farming is not good and it has been shown to have bad effects on the fish but most fsh are of the free-rangevariety I suppose ;-) .... I think un-natural stress leads to ill health in mind and body and this applies to all animals to varying degrees)

Just some thoughts

[scareyvegan]

this has a little bit on fish:
http://veganoutreach.com/whyvegan/animals.html

im opposed to eating fish
eating a fish is just like eating a chicken

Caroline

[Marie]

Originally posted by Kurmudgeon
I'll dig up some articles on whether plants feel pain.

*L*

[Peebs]

Originally posted by Kurmudgeon
I'll dig up some articles on whether plants feel pain.

LOL, gee Kurm you just can't let it go, huh? :p

To me catching a fish is like hooking a dog by the mouth (or trapping him in a net), dragging him into a lake and drowning him. Animal cruelty.

[spa_girl]

The PETA site that Martin recommended is a good one, and here's their factsheet on fishing:

http://www.peta.org/mc/facts/fswild4.html

[sunshinemelissa]

from body fueling.com (looks like the same thing out of the Peta vegetarian starter kit guide):
Fish often experience decompression when they are caught. Their eyes pop out of their heads and their stomachs are pushed through their mouth. Fish have very developed nervous systems, like humans and other land animals. THey suffer when they are hooked or netted, forced to die of suffocationwhen taken out of the water.

I used to think that fish was ok, and I only refrained from land animals, but when I read this same info in the peta pamphlet, I quit. I didn't realize they could feel:(

[Kurmudgeon]

I saw a documentary on some sort of Fishing in the southern seas or somewhere sort of south of Sydney.

They'd sink these long lines straight down into deep water, and they'd have hooks and bait every few feet. Deep water Fish would bite the bait and get caught on the hook.

Sometime later (meaning the Fish could be trapped like that for a long time) they'd pull the lines up. The decompression does nasty things to them (as sunshinemelissa mentioned) as they are dragged up from the deep.

[michael_veggie]

Fish do feel pain. I'd hate for my fish to have to suffocate. When I went vegetarian I stopped eating fish and now I am a vegan.

[epski]

Originally posted by dk_art
...I believe fish farming is not good and it has been shown to have bad effects on the fish but most fsh are of the free-rangevariety I suppose ;-) ....

I'm not sure this is true anymore. The seas are over-fished, and fish farming is a huge business.

[Banned 009]

Fish don't really even have a brain. They just have a little lump at the top of their neural spine that controls instinctual mandates like breathing, eating, mating, navigation, etc.

Here's a pic...

http://www.hedley.ca/anatomy.jpg

Killing a fish is similar to killing a venus flytrap, you might say.

[stonecrest]

Originally posted by Mr Meat
Fish don't really even have a brain. They just have a little lump at the top of their neural spine that controls instinctual mandates like breathing, eating, mating, navigation, etc.

Here's a pic...

http://www.hedley.ca/anatomy.jpg

Killing a fish is similar to killing a venus flytrap, you might say.

heh.. you do realize that that picture specifically says "brain" on it, right? maybe you should find another one that backs up your statement that "fish don't really even have a brain".

[jilhrt2]

The size of an animals brain has nothing to do with their capacity to feel pain or to be intelligent creatures. Every species brains is proportionate to their body, and cannot be measured by size.

Thankfully, even when I ate meat, I never ate fish. I never liked seafood. And now I'm glad, because it was never hard for me to give up. Eating a fish is just like eating any other animal, as Scarey said. An article I tried to post a while ago said that the salmon and tuna population was down by 90%!!!!!!!! due to overfishing. All of the vegetarians and vegans I know eat fish, and I don't understand it. Leave the ocean alone!!!!!!!!:mad: :mad: