Ethical Consumer

Written by: ECRA Bloggers
28/07/2009 15:33 

The decision to accept the advert from Fish 4 Ever (on this website and in Ethical Consumer magazine) was a somewhat controversial one for the co-operative,with many of us at ECRA not eating fish on ethical grounds. However it was decided that the purpose of the advert would be to inform rather than promote fish-eating, encouraging those who do eat fish to choose the most sustainable option available, rather than being a promotion of eating fish per se.

Ethical Consumer aims to inform rather than preach, so in the interest of balance it is worth also considering the following:

Fish have a nervous system and pain receptors like all other animals. Twenty-five years ago the RSPCA’s Medway Report (1981) concluded that fish are capable of suffering and feeling pain, yet the slaughter regulations which offer some level of protection to other farmed animals still do not apply to fish.

Fear and psychological stress are also likely to be experienced by fish. This implies, like other vertebrates, that fish have the capacity to suffer and that welfare considerations for farmed fish in this instance should also be taken into account.

The basic act of removing a fish from water causes severe pain and distress, even before the killing begins. Wild caught fish, when hauled up from the depths, can undergo excruciating decompression.

Farmed fish may not be endangered, but they are caged in cramped and unhealthy conditions, causing great stress and rendering them susceptible to disease. Farmed salmon, for example, can grow up to 2.5 feet long and yet are only given space equivalent to a bathtub of water.

See www.vegsoc.org/fish/facts1.html for more information on their fish campaign

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