Why fish is not a vegetable
I feel so sorry for fish. For some reason they slip out of the “meat” category and fall somewhere below chicken and just above potato. You hear those confused vegetarians all the time going around saying, “Oh I don’t eat any meat, but I do eat a little fish.” I was one of them. Salmon was one of last animals to leave my food supply.
If you also fall into this category, what I’m about to say may come as a bit of a surprise. If it has a heartbeat, a blood supply and a mother, it is meat! Fish is just as much meat as a cow, pig, lamb or chicken. They still bleed, and they definitely still feel pain when they are killed – the only difference is that they are relatively out of sight, and we can’t hear their cries.
Sea animals aren’t exempt from horrific inhumane treatment either, but this isn’t a lecture on animal welfare. I want to talk to you about the health implications of dining on our fishy friends. Whether you eat meat or not is a personal choice, and one that I certainly do not have the right to judge – my dad used to be a fisherman and my parents used to own a fish shop! I just want to share the facts I’ve learnt with you.
The fish that we love to eat fall into two main categories: farmed and wild. Farmed fish are raised in much the same environment as factory farmed animals. They are crammed into confined spaces and forced to survive in atrocious conditions. The enormous amount of feces in their enclosures leads to rampant outbreaks of parasites and disease. In order to keep the fish alive in such unhealthy conditions, large quantities of antibiotics and other chemicals are poured into the water. Farmed fish are fed a tasty diet of junk grains, soy meal, corn gluten meal, chemicals and neurotoxins. Everything the fish endures, is consumed by you when you eat it!
Wild caught fish is a little better, but still not great. Most of it is full of mercury (with the exception of the odd sardine) – which is the second most toxic element on Earth next to radiation.
So where do you stand on the whole eating fish issue? Were you aware that they are just as unhealthy and treated just as badly as factory farmed animals? Do you care? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
I’ve posted this video before, but it is so powerful and it really documents where fish really come from.
Positive affirmation for the day: I have the power to choose how I feel in this moment. I choose to let go of thoughts that are negative and destructive. All is well in my world.
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amazing video! I'm still puzzled at how many people think that we can only get our essential nutrients & protein from meat!
Great post. What are the best alternative sources to fish for long-chain omega 3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA in particular)? Am concerned about how well the body can absorb it as well.
Fantastic post Jessica!
Hi Jess, have you tried Hydroponics? Organic fruit and vegetables all grown by the power of water and fish! Your own, well grown, toxic free fish! Save a lot of time and money than growing your own in the ground…
I will not touch farmed fish. I live in Tasmania where the farmed salmon industry is booming and they are looking to expand further. There are many protesting this. I have a friend who works in the factory that produces farmed fish food and their feed is exactly as you describe. Even the pink colour the salmon's flesh is produced by a chemical added to their food. The fish are so ill and the environment around the fish farms are dead. I have heard that those who work at these farms would not consume the fish they raise.
The only fish I will consume is wild fish with higher levels of selenium.
There a several DHA, EPA supplements out there from algae.
Hey Jess,
I also, until recently, used to eat fish, believing that I needed to eat fish at least once a week for health benefits like omega 3.
I recently quit eating all meat and dairy, which was in part thanks to all the info on blogs like yours, but also to a fantastic book I read by Jonathan Safran Foer called 'Eating Animals'. Shocking and seriously eye-opening, but also a total page-turner. There is a section in the book on fish, and I was so shocked to discover just how unhealthy it actually is (I mean, the fish are near-dead for most of their life). That's not even to mention the cruelty and effects on the environment…
Thanks, as always, for the great post Jess!
Best wishes,
Bronwen
i too am one of those people who dont eat red meat but eat chicken and fish. omg . i couldnt even watch the end of that clip.! just today i purchased huon salmon . not anymore !! lazyness and conformism will def not be a deciding factor in my diet any more . thnakyou .
Thanks for a great post Jess. I couldn't watch this video, its so cruel and shocking!! They say animals are our friends, and you wouldn't eat a friend..
15 years ago I became a vegetarian because of a sad documentary I watched about the cruelty and grotesque treatment to animals for their meat. The images live in my head always. I quite cold turkey the next day.
I had no idea about the gross environment with farm fish. I use to eat tuna but quit after hearing of the slaughter in oceans. Yes even fish are horribly treated – that's putting it lightly.
thanks for sharing Jess
I too am shocked by this all and now have been educated more about fish. Can I ask though is this all fish here in Aust?
Thanks so much for the info..
Hi Jess, two days ago I stopped eating meat but I have next to no experience with cooking vegetarian meals. I can do a mean stir fry and steamed vegies but thats about it. My question is What is the best way to start and do you know of any bloggers that do a Vegetarian for beginners.
This comment isn't about fish but about the whole toxins and pesticide thing. I am a farmer's daughter (though he's 83 now and the farm has been sold) and I discussed pesticides with my mom the other day. She said that pesticides seem to be all bad but that if it isn't used the crops can get infested with organisms that produce toxins that are actually worse for humans than the pesticide residues.
On a more environmental note not using pesticides means the land has to be worked more, meaning many more trips on field with the tractor using up much more diesel.
Nobody wants to ingest toxins but sometimes I feel the stress over things like that are more problematic for me personally. Pretty much everything is risky, and life does come with 100% mortality in the end. At least in this life. 
Very very interesting 
I actually fell asleep last night thinking of some videos I saw a couple yrs ago of horrible slaughter houses…. I don't know why I just came to my mind as I was falling asleep…but when I first saw those videos I cried. Don't even get started on those people who skin animals alive because it's "easier" to remove their pelts.
I really wish we lived in a society where people raised their own meat for food. My fiance lived on on a ranch in Mexico (as a child) where they slaughtered their own meat – it wasn't cruel – it was life. I think if we got back to an era like that, things would be so much better.
It's not the eating of meat and the slaughter houses that need to be changed. People will never stop eating meat, and not eating meat doesn't stop this horrible thing. It's turning into an "out of sight – out of mind" thing. People like these (in that video above) who are torturing these animals need to be prosecuted! Horrible.
People who run those facilities need to have more enforcement, laws, regulations, supervision, and SEVERE consequences for treating animals this way. I'm not sure how that will happen….
There's no easy way to slaughter an animal for food, but there is a fast and painless way. It breaks my heart to see these animals tortured.
There's really no way to ensure your animals are being treated humanely unless you raise and kill them yourself. So sad.
Just to be open here, my family and I are meat eaters. About all I can do as a consumer is buy my meat from a supplier that raises their animals in a natural way, grass feed, free range, etc… at least I can hopefully consume meat and fish that wasn't treated with drugs. Heck, even our veggies are sprayed. We're ingesting chemicals left and right.
Still, when you transfer an animal to a slaughter house there's no way to make the journey "easy" for them. They'll get stressed, dehydrated or worse on the ride.
Whether you choose to not eat meat or if you only buy meat sold from "humane" treatment – there's nothing to stop or change those poor OTHER animals….yet. I've seen so much awareness and I hope it snowballs into something more.
Wow, I typed a lot anyway, wanted to say that was an awesome post!
Thanks for all of your comments guys!
@Eric Salo: Have you looked into getting EPA and DHE from algae like spirulina, wild blue green algae and marine phytoplankton?
@Anonymous: I'm not sure that hydroponics are the best idea. I'm going to look into this more and write a blog post about it, but I think they are pretty toxic.
Bronwen: I loved JSF's book! So eye-opening. I wrote a review of it here: http://www.thewellnesswarrior.com.au/2010/11/wellness-warrior-bookshelf-eating.html
Anonymous: Yes, it is pretty much all fish here in Australia. Unless you sought out wild caught fish and speak to the fishermen or sellers themselves about where it comes from. All fish contains mercury though.
Emma: Have you checked out this site: http://www.veggienumnum.com/ It has heaps of yummy, easy vego meals. All of my recipes are vego as well: http://www.thewellnesswarrior.com.au/p/recipes.html
Jess xx
Great post! I am constantly frustrated by people who assume that when I tell them I am vegetarian I eat fish…or chicken. Vegetarian means vegetables only.
Thanks, Jess. I will explore EPA and DHE from algae like spirulina, wild blue green algae and marine phytoplankton as you suggested I've been told by so many people that fish is a better source but I am not convinced. Your blog is inspiring, thank you again.
Great topic
how on earth do they get so many fish oils
on the market ?the mercury free ones are these ok ?