Which is worse, eating fish or eating meat?

Scroll to see replies

Fine.. I cba with searching through my bookmarks to find the actual studies (I do have them saved somewhere) right now as I'm about to go to bed but this is enough to get you by until I do: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_fishing

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/04/29/UPI-NewsTrack-Health-and-Science-News/UPI-83361241041440/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2983045.stm

EDIT: Also, take a look at Dr Victoria Braithwaite work....

Thank you for the articles. I suppose the key thing is that the reaction appears to be cognitive rather than merely reflexive. I will take a look at the Braithwaite you recommend. It would be interesting to learn the extent of this pain and whether it can be mitigated or not.

Reply 41

converselove

Original post by Philbert

If you do not eat meat, but eat fish, you are pescetarian. Just sayin'

+ rep simply for having DT in your sig, absolutely LOVE him <3

I'm a semi vegi, I eat chicken and fish. As suggested, I buy fresh fish from a reputable fish mongers so if turning vegi is down to a moral thing, do that.

Reply 42

alexa123

I personally think if you are a vegetarian based on moral reasons and how much pain an animal suffers/ how intelligent etc. then you shouldn't really eat any meat or fish unless you know how it was treated/killed. I have a friend who says he is a vegetarian but only so people don't feel him meat because the only kind he will eat is home reared where he knows how it has been treated.
I live on a farm and we obviously kill our animals for meat. I can totally understand why people are vegetarian based on how aniamls are treated/killed as often in an intensive environment it can be awful. However, I have watched our own being killed and it was very instant, the animals were not acting any different to how they usually would. If a fish wasn't killed this humanely, say on a mass scale than it would be unfair and far more cruel even if it isn't as intelligent as say a pig.

Reply 43

ash92:)

Original post by Boo!xx

If you're an ova-lacto-vegeterian like me (eats dairy and eggs) you still get all of the amino acids :]

yeh, dairy & eggs is fine. i would've thought that eggs is still classed same as meat though :confused:

- it'd make sense to me

Reply 44

iainthegreat

Original post by Antiaris

You have to be careful with fish. Many varieties shouldn't be eaten too often due to high mercury levels.

The entire thing of more lives for the amount of meat might have to do with fishing regulations, where if a boat overfishes they have to throw back the excess... even though the fish are dead.

Farmed vs Non-farmed... Up to you really. The amount of area that the fish gets to roam might be tiny. The chemicals they pump in might put you off too. Salmon isn't actually that pink naturally, they even use a colour chart.

Personally I feel more comfortable eating fish, morally at least. Fish don't dream and for me that is very important, though I don't quite know why.

This is true, they actually colour the Salmon pink, it's shocking!

Reply 45

Boo!xx

Original post by ash92:)

yeh, dairy & eggs is fine. i would've thought that eggs is still classed same as meat though :confused:

- it'd make sense to me

Its because the eggs haven't been fertilized, so they cant actually hatch into chickens :] As long as the hens are treat well, so buy free-range eggs, eggs are fine to eat :] Of course vegans disagree there, but it's personal choice

Reply 46

alexa123

Original post by Boo!xx

But how do you know the egg hasn't been fertilized?
I know people who have hatched shop eggs!

Reply 47

Boo!xx

Original post by alexa123

But how do you know the egg hasn't been fertilized?
I know people who have hatched shop eggs!

I'm not sure if I'd believe that. There needs to be a rooster around to fertalise the eggs, which eggs farms won't have. I supose if a sneaky rooster broke in, maybe. But either way, when you crack the egg open its still yolk and egg white, so its not developed in the slighest, which means (to me, obviously people have different opinions on embryos/zygotes etc) that it doesnt yet qualify as an organism so its ok to eat. If it had started to develope and you crack the egg open you would know about it:/

Reply 48

TotoMimo

As horrid as it is to refer to them as such, eggs are just the chicken's "periods". Like Boo!xx says, you know they haven't been fertilised if there's no cockerel around. They can't just magically self-fertilise.

Reply 49

alexa123

Original post by Boo!xx

I agree on the fact there isn't anything developed!
However not on the bit about there not being a cockerel in the pen. I mean believe what you want but i know it's true! Possibly likely not to have one with battery hens, but not always the case with others such as barn and free range!

Reply 50

Hravan

About eggs (and dairy in fact), generally, it isn't because the eggs themselves have a potential for life but because in the production of them, animals do die. Half the chicks (or calves) that are born are male. They will either just be killed as soon as they're sexed or raised as meat. Therefore, buying eggs (and supporting the industry) contributes to the death of animals.
That is the more prevalent reasoning that veganism/strict vegetarianism gives for not eating eggs rather than the whole potential life thing.

Of course, there is the philosophy that veganism is which is to completely avoid (as far as is practical and possible) the use of animals products. Basically, rejecting the view of animals as a commodity. Veganism isn't just a diet, it's a complete lifestyle. (Even if you don't eat any animal products at all but don't follow the vegan philosophy in the rest of your life (so wear wool, silk, use toiletries that have animal products in etc etc), then you're not vegan. You may have a vegan diet but you're not vegan....)

Spoiler

Reply 51

aarora

fish because i like the taste of chicken better :tongue:

Reply 52

BroPescatarian

That’s incorrect, and sounds unintelligent! Lmao species are different than races! Humans all look the Same on the inside, but a cow and a shrimp don’t even compare!

Reply 53

the bear

8 year old thread :emo:

Reply 54

unholysaint2022

yikes, the dust on this thread is visible. pass me a vacuum

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 55

Vinny C

With my g/f's cooking, they both taste the same.

Reply 56

32Katy

Original post by boomchickawowwow

I just went vegetarian for a variety of reasons including environmental, ethical and the fact that if you eat any meat it is difficult to all-together avoid battery-farmed, ritually slaughtered and other mistreated animals (especially at a catered university like mine). My choice to go vegie wasn't based on a very strong moral conviction, it was more 'on balance'.

However, now I face the dilemma of whether it is okay to eat fish. I made the usual assumptions about fish having low intelligence, low capacity for suffering and so on that made me think I could include fish in my diet (though I haven't yet). However, many people have challenged me on this and said fish is in fact treated worse, and a much greater number have to be killed than for a dish of meat. Some people have even said that on the grounds I became a vegie, it is worse to eat fish than meat.

So, is it okay to eat fish?

there are different varieties of vegetarianism. everything depends on you if you want to be a fully vegetarian or only half .... some species of fish have to be careful and the rest ... everything depends on you