Hi! I've been vegetarian for a while because of mostly environmental reasons and I was thinking of going vegan... But I don't feel like my arguments apply on sea life since we don't really add anything to it if we don't breed fish or anything. I feel like if you just fish responsibly then there's no environmental problems to it? But obviously it would be weird to be vegan and then eat fish too so are there any reasons against fishing, except for those general about just "not eating animals"? :)
We don't fish responsibly though. When there's money involved we don't do anything responsibly. We also do breed, fish farming is a thing.
Over fishing is a biggest threat to our marine ecosystems. Commercial fishing isn't a guy on a boat catching a fish for dinner. They use huge nets that crush coral and destroy habitats.
The biggest bottom trawl nets have mouths as wide as the length of a rugby field. Weighted with heavy metal rollers, the nets smash and crush everything in their path as they indiscriminately swallow vast quantities of marine life.If the same technique were used on land, it would be like dragging a vast net across the countryside - crushing trees, farms and wildlife in the process - to catch a few cows - x
Even if you don't care about fish that's not even all of it.
Most fishing gear is not selective. This means that as well as the 'target' species of fish it catches, any number of 'non-target' species may also be hauled in. This 'incidental' catch of other species is referred to as 'bycatch'.
An estimated 300,000 cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) die as bycatch each year, because they are unable to escape when caught in nets. Birds dive for the bait planted on the end longlines, swallow it (hook and all) and are pulled underwater and drowned. - x
Sharks, turtles and many other animals included.
Some links for you ^ We're fishing species into extinction, killing so many different species trying to get a select few, we're crushing reefs and ruining our oceans, it breaks my heart so bad so I hope this changes your mind a bit. Eating fish isn't needed, at all. Our oceans need protection more now than ever.Watch/read this.
