SAN FRANCISCO (Aug. 6, 2024) — In San Francisco’s Aquatic Park, In Defense of Animals activists gathered for the fifth annual Respect for Fish Day, a global initiative on August 1 to defend marine animals and the oceans. For this year’s event, campaigners shared their own informative and personal “fish tale” stories highlighting startling facts about fish sentience, the environmental harms of fishing, and why fish deserve respect and protection. 

Lia Wilbourn, Farmed Animals Campaign Coordinator at In Defense of Animals shared, “When I was about 6 years old my dad took me fishing. When he caught the fish and I saw the hook in their face, their struggle, and obvious pain and suffocation, I started crying and asked my dad to put him/her back. He did, and I’m so grateful to him for that. Though we continued to love being in nature and by the water, we never fished again.”

Activists distributed educational brochures with captivating scientific evidence of the inner lives of marine animals and disturbing facts about the fishing industry. 

A recent study published in the journal Animal Welfare found 1.1-2.2 trillion individual wild fishes are caught globally every year — that’s the equivalent of 135-270 fishes killed for every human on Earth. Around half of these wild ocean dwellers are reduced to fishmeal and oil used to feed farmed fish, who account for millions more killed every year. 

Destructive fishing practices such as bottom trawling devastate sea floors and obliterate marine ecosystems, while other methods, such as gillnets, purse seine nets, long lines, and pelagic trawling put many other species at risk of being killed as bycatch, including endangered species. Dolphins, whales, turtles, sea birds, octopuses, seals, and many other animals are casualties of the hunt for wild fish like salmon and tuna.

Although there are more than thirty thousand species of fish, experts estimate that 50 percent of marine species have vanished since 1970. If fishing continues as usual, experts predict a worldwide collapse of fish populations within the next thirty years.  

Scientists who study marine life, including Jonathan Balcombe, author of “What a Fish Knows,” have proven fishes think, feel pain, and have complex emotions like pleasure, fear, stress, and empathy. They can use tools and work together, they have memories, distinct personalities and some can recognize human faces. Some species of fish can live up to 200 years old. 

Fishing is also a major source of plastic pollution; lost and discarded fishing gear poses a deadly threat to marine life. The fishing industry is also a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and the climate crisis. 

“People simply don’t know — because they’ve been intentionally misinformed by the fishing industry — that both commercial fishing, and so-called ‘farmed’ fishing operations, cause massive damage to oceans, and poison and kill huge numbers of other marine animals,” said Jack Gescheidt, Environmental Campaigner with In Defense of Animals.  

Consuming fish exposes humans to harmful substances such as mercury, arsenic, microplastics, and other toxins, as well as high levels of cholesterol and saturated fat. However, humans can thrive without eating fish. Scientific evidence concludes that whole-food plant-based vegan diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, appropriate for all stages of life, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. 

Several remarkable ocean advocates including scientists, environmentalists, actors, and politicians support Respect for Fish Day, including Sea Shepherd and Captain Paul Watson Foundation founder, Captain Paul Watson, who was recently arrested in Greenland for his anti-whaling efforts in Japan.

In Defense of Animals’ urgent call to action is clear: change our dietary habits to protect marine animals and preserve the health of our oceans for future generations. 

“We’ve all been conditioned to overlook or sideline fish, but it’s clear that fishes feel pain, have intelligence and emotions, and are capable of suffering, just like land animals,” added Wilbourn. “Animals of the sea and land are here with us, not for us. Together, we can turn the tide. Let's commit to protecting our oceans and marine life by not eating fish.”

Act now to protect fish by sending a letter to end bowfishing contests.

Download a vegan starter guide.

Find out more and get involved:  https://www.idausa.org/campaign/farmed-animal/fish/respect-for-fish-day/rff-why-fish/

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Respect for Fish Day focuses on bringing awareness to the plight of fishes, which often goes unseen or is misunderstood, and the consequential harms to them and other animals that come as a result of fishing. In the past, Respect For Fish Day has centered around the “pet” trade, fishing and ghost gear. 

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization based in Marin County, California, with over 250,000 supporters and a 40-year history of fighting for animals, people, and the environment through education and campaigns, as well as hands-on rescue facilities in India, South Korea, California and Mississippi. www.idausa.org/respectfish

Contact: Lia Wilbourn, lia@idausa.org, ‪(707) 776-6828 

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