Mark your calendar: June 18–24 is Fish Are Friends, Not Food Week. (Thank you, "Finding Nemo," for the motto.) Although I no longer eat fish, my childhood was inconsistent with that catchphrase. On one hand, aquatic animals were indeed beloved companions. My goldfish, Bronzy, lovingly named after his shimmering bronze scales (creative, I know), would wait for me to come home from school each day, swimming up to greet me. On every trip to the coast, I’d admire the crabs on the beach, watching as they gently kicked the sand away in search of food. I read with fascination and wonder about Earth’s complex sea life—and yet I ignored any connection that these same beings were on my dinner plate.
I always had an affinity for animals, and a kind heart, as my mother would say. But people who care about animals do not eat them. Once I finally made that connection, I went pescatarian. I removed cows, turkeys, pigs and chickens from my diet, but as a Marylander, I proudly continued to eat crabs in a state famous for them. I thought I was doing no harm. I was saving the animals who mattered “most.”
No doubt, the birds and mammals killed for food experience inhumane, dreadful misery. You can see it on their relatable faces, and you can hear it in their screams of terror, crying out for mercy. But crabs, lobsters and salmon look nothing like humans. They don’t have voices we understand. So I dismissed these animals’ complexity. I gave little thought to their desire to live. I failed to recognize that these are sensitive, intelligent beings. They are individuals, too.
Fish, from goldfish to tilapia, are curious creatures capable of experiencing pain. They have intricate internal worlds. They interact with one another, recognize human faces and become excited when they see their friends. Just like humans, lobsters carry their young for nine months, can live to be more than 100 years old and enjoy long-distance seasonal vacations. They use signals to explore their surroundings and establish social relationships. Crabs are able to retain information and learn from their mistakes. And like lobsters, crabs feel and react to pain. Octopuses are one of the planet’s smartest species. They can figure out how to unscrew a jar after watching a human do it. They have personalities! An octopus decorates their ocean home with aesthetically pleasing objects they happen to find on their journeys.
As I learned about who these animals are, it became inevitable: I removed sea life from my plate. Most of my family and friends were supportive when I went pescatarian, but going vegan really caught their interest. “You won’t eat crabs, and you live in Maryland?” But going vegan opened up a plethora of delicious choices. I now celebrate Maryland traditions with crab-free crab cakes, and I celebrate crabs by admiring them instead of steaming them alive and tearing them limb from limb. And yes, I still use Old Bay.
After eliminating seafood from your life, you, too, will discover the delicious joy of vegan calamari, cruelty-free scallops, plant-based crab cakes, compassionate shrimp dishes and fish-friendly fillets.
You’ll feel better in more ways than one. Consuming animals is bad for your health. A recent study found that eating just a single fish pulled from a U.S. lake or river could be equivalent to drinking water tainted with “forever chemicals” for a month. Eating shrimp means you’re also eating the unappetizing parasites that make up their diet. You’ll even reduce your environmental footprint, because going vegan is also better for the planet. As a result of commercial fishing, 90% of large fish populations have been exterminated since the 1970s. Fish farming is even worse, discharging waste and pesticides into ecologically fragile coastal waters. Our delicate aquatic ecosystem requires conservation and compassion.
Don’t think about going vegan—do it. Consider the individual, and think about who, not what, is on your plate. It’s the kindest choice you could ever make.
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(Emily Jones is the manager of written communications for the PETA Foundation, 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510; www.PETA.org.)
