Page 86 - Vegan Life - Issue 59 (February 2020)

Plenty more ish in the

sea... or are there?

We investigate the trade of tropical fish

hink of a coral reef beneath a — it catches and breeds as many fish as and reconciliation, exhibiting stable
warm, turquoise ocean — buzzing possible, with little regard for animal cultural traditions, and co-operating to
Twith brightly coloured and lively welfare or the environment. inspect predators and catch food’.
species of aquatic life zipping between Just like many other living beings,
anemones and rocks, in search of Sufering fish are able to communicate with one
food, mates or shelter. This gorgeous It is heartbreaking to think that fragile another, using this interaction to navigate
ecosystem is slowly becoming something tropical fish, born to dwell in the open their everyday lives, survival, and to
of the past, an idyllic image in our oceans and to forage amongst plentiful form relationships. According to PETA,
heads, replaced by a new, depleted reality marine plants, are instead captured and they do this ‘through a range of low-
that features a bleached reef barren of forced to live out their days inside glass frequency sounds, from buzzes and clicks
fish. There are a lot of reasons for this habitats, a fraction of the size and variety to yelps and sobs. These sounds, which
having happened, global warming is of their former homes. They are watched are audible to humans only with the use
one major cause on the list, overfishing relentlessly by their keepers (oten people of special instruments, communicate
for human consumption also plays its who do not realise the responsibility emotional states such as alarm or delight
part, and the trade of tropical fish for that caring for a saltwater fish requires), and help with courtship.’ A behavioural
keeping in tanks is another, less spoken denied the ability to swim and travel ecologist at the University of Bern in
of, instigator. freely and prevented from being able Switzerland, says, “Fish have some of
It’s undeniable that tropical marine to express the majority of their natural the most complex social systems known.
species are amazing to look at, and it behaviours. Many people believe that fish You see fish helping each other. You see
is for this reason that they are severely and other aquatic animals have limited cooperation and forms of reciprocity.”
sought ater by the pet industry for cognitive and emotion-bearing abilities, However, this communication is
display in people’s homes, and by much less than non-human primates and interfered with by the pumps and filters
collectors for exhibition at aquariums other non-human animals. Yet, numerous necessary in many home tanks and
around the world. However, the capture scientific studies have shown that fish big-scale aquariums. Ichthyologist (a
and imprisonment of these species are sentient, with cognitive abilities that zoologist specialising in the study of fish)
create massive opportunities for poor equal, and sometimes surpass that of Phillip Lobel, comments: “At the least,
welfare and animal abuse, are causing non-human primates (peta.org). Just like we’re disrupting their communication; at
a decline in populations, and bringing us, fish can recognise individuals, use worst, we’re driving them bonkers.” By
about an ecological breakdown to natural tools to get food and they can form and keeping these interactive beings inside
marine environments. maintain complex social relationships. tanks, we are disturbing their innate
Frustratingly, the trade of tropical fish In fact, biologists wrote in Fish and forms of communication, and preventing
for aquariums and for ‘pets’, is virtually Fisheries that fish are ‘Steeped in social them from being able to form the bonds
unregulated as an industry (worth $200 intelligence, pursuing Machiavellian and social structures that are natural to
million annually, according to unep.org) strategies of manipulation, punishment them, severely impacting their lives. ›

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