Horrific undercover footage filmed by animal
rights group Animal Equality reveals how intensive trawling nets are destroying
our oceans and cruelly killing millions of fish.
The heartbreaking video, shot on board a
commercial fishing boat off the coast of Sardinia, Italy, shows massive
trawling nets scooping up hundreds of thousands of marine animals and hoisting
them onto the boat where they squirm and gasp for air.
These giant nets damage the ocean floor and
catch hundreds of thousands of non-target fish. Many are thrown overboard dead
from shock, exhaustion, or suffocation, while others die from the sudden change
in pressure that causes organs to be forced through the mouth. Even more of
these poor animals are gutted alive, and others are put in freezers where they
die slowly.
See the shocking video yourself.
Human consumption of seafood is destroying our
oceans and killing billions of innocent animals. In fact, the fishing industry
is responsible for the deaths of countless sharks, whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and
porpoises. The National Journal
estimates that about 20 percent of all animals caught in commercial trawling
nets are “bycatch, or unwanted animals.
Recent video footage released by Mercy For
Animals, SeaLegacy, Sharkwater, and Turtle Island Restoration Network exposes
how marine animals—including dolphins, sea lions, and seabirds—are routinely
trapped and killed
in the commercial fishing industry’s driftnets. Investigators
documented animals being cut apart, pierced with hooks, caught in nets, and
left to suffocate aboard driftnet fishing boats off the coast of California.
Watch.
Fish are similar to dogs, cats, and other animals in their
experience of pain and pleasure. Sadly, while mounting evidence
proves that fish feel pain, they’re not granted any protections from cruelty.
The best thing we can do to remove our support
from the destructive and callous fishing industry is to leave fish off our plates
and switch to a compassionate vegan diet.
Ready to get started? Check out all the amazing vegan versions of seafood, such as
Gardein’s fishless filets and crabless
cakes. And click here for compassionate sea-inspired recipes.