Fish are sentient, which means they have thoughts and feelings. They don’t want to be brought up onto land where they can’t breathe, just like you don’t want to be pulled to the depths of the ocean.
Fish farms
Most of the fish you would find in the supermarket come from fish farms. Unfortunately, these farms are factory farms under the water. Fishes are forced to live in very dirty and crowded cages. Many fishes live their whole lives with painful injuries or deformities. This is no life for anyone.
Fishing on boats
When it comes to ocean threats, commercial fishing is one of the biggest concerns. Commercial fishing is usually done by fishers on huge boats who catch wild fish with massive nets and trawling equipment. Most of the world’s fish populations are over or fully exploited. This means that many are being fished faster than they can reproduce, so their populations are in decline.
Did you know?
Ghost nets
Discarded fishing gear, also known as ghost nets, accounts for most of the plastic in our oceans. When nets get tangled or broken on a fishing boat, rather than being brought back to land so they can be disposed of properly, some get thrown overboard. Discarded fishing equipment such as nets, lures and hooks are designed to catch fish. This makes ghosts nets incredibly dangerous for marine life. Many sea creatures get caught in this debris and starve. This littering is dangerous and must be stopped!
Bycatch
Did you know that it’s not just the fish you see for sale that are affected by commercial fishing? Other sea creatures such as seals, dolphins, turtles and octopuses get caught in fishing nets along with the fish that the fishers intended to catch. These ‘bycatch’ animals often die in these nets or on the boat. Their bodies are thrown overboard without much thought.
Quick facts
- Over [x] million metric tonnes of rubbish goes into the ocean every year, [x]% of it plastic
- There is [600,000 to 800,000] tonnes of discarded plastic fishing equipment in the ocean
- It takes over [600] years for plastic fishing gear to degrade in the ocean
- [x]% of marine creatures found dead have plastic in their stomachs
- Over [x]% of the world’s fish populations are overexploited or fully exploited
- [more facts to be suggested by campaigns]
“The problem in our relationship with animals is that our treatment of them hasn’t evolved to keep up with our knowledge.”
Jonathan Balcombe – ethologist and author
How you can help marine life
Keeping fish off your plate means you are not supporting commercial fishing and is one of the most important things you can do to help marine life. Don’t worry, we have plenty of recipes to try, including tofish and chips!
Send a letter to fishing companies urging them to tag or brand their fishing gear. This means ghost nets can be traced and the company can be held accountable.
When it comes to protecting our oceans, education is key. Share what you have learnt with your classmates and teacher by choosing commercial fishing as a topic for your next school project.
Collecting rubbish at the beach and disposing of it properly can save lives. By organising or joining a beach clean near you, you can help the animals and the environment!
