Did you know that fishes, crustaceans and cephalopods are one of the most exploited creatures of the animal kingdom?

Oceans and seas world over are being emptied by dragging out tons of this creatures every day. While commercial fishing using modern equipments and advanced tools kill billions of fishes every year, the “recreational” fishing activity add to this numbers by inflicting more sufferings and death of aquatic life.

Due to the technological advances, the rate of fishing today has become so high that it has created several oceanic dead zones. According to National geography, if we keep hunting fishes at this rate, all the fishes from all oceans of the world will be drawn out by 2048.

Seafood May Be Gone by 2048, Study Says:

According to the study, the loss of ocean biodiversity is accelerating, and 29 percent of the seafood species humans consume have already crashed. If the long-term trend continues, in 30 years there will be little or no seafood available for sustainable harvest.

The study further points out that the damage being done to marine biodiversity is affecting the ecosystem. The strong connection between ocean communities and their habitat explains why species diversity affects ecosystem services. Almost all the water bodies of the globe are being fished and overfished.

The bloodiest of all massacres is happening under water:

All these marine creatures are sentient beings and every individual live a very complex social life with unique personality traits and are capable to feel pain and pleasure. There are several scientific studies that have concluded that fishes are not only sentient beings but have a good memory, can solve some complicated puzzles, can identify their environment and habitat etc.

“Fish feel pain and fear, just as dogs, cats, and humans do,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman.

But without giving any consideration to their own life, humans are carelessly massacaring them to extinction. Unlike farmed land animals, we don’t even count fishes in nos. We only have figures in tonnes. Isn’t it too insensitive of us?

According to one estimate as many as 2.7 trillion fishes are being caught every year. Add to this the animals killed as bycatch in shrimp trawl fisheries. According to FAO figures, for every one pound of fish caught, up to 5 pounds of unitended marine species are discarded as by-kill.

BBC clearly states about this scenario:

Entire species of marine life will never be seen in the Anthropocene (the Age of Man), let alone tasted, if we do not curb our insatiable voracity for fish.

So what can you do?

On this World Day for the End of Fishing, you can take a vow to exclude all sentient marine creatures from your meal plate henceforth. At least, you can put down your fishing rods for today and give up all dishes including fishes and eat faux fish sticks / fingers to derive the equivalent taste. You will find out that there is no need to kill fishes for the sake of your taste buds. You can derive the same pleasure through plant based faux-fish recipes too. There is absolutely no need to consume any animals to live a healthy life for us humans.

The most important thing is to recognize the fish as a living individual who can suffer and experience pain and has a life of its own.. She is not sea-food but some sea-life. Let peace prevail unto this world!