Page 88 - Vegan Life - Issue 59 (February 2020)

You might not know, but fish have behavioural and cognitive sophistication fish get too much exposure at collection
complex nervous systems and react to and pain perception suggests that best and die straight away. Many more die
painful stimuli just the same as other practice would be to lend fish the same in transit, whilst others may hang on
animals — Dr Donald Broom, scientific level of protection as any other vertebrate until they’re in an unknowing aquarium
adviser to the British government, states (awionline.org).” owner’s tank and then pass away. A 2016
that anatomically, physiologically, report from the environmental groups,
and biologically, the nervous system Capture and breeding Center for Biological Diversity and For
(which interprets pain signals) in fish The majority of captive fish live very the Fishes, found that the poison killed
is virtually the same as in mammals. short lives, but they are easily replaced another 14 million in the wild or during
Yet, in many cases, these sentient with new ‘pets’ and ‘stock’. This creates transit and handling (biologicaldiversity.
beings are not recognised as such, a constant demand that fuels a cycle of org). Umberger continues: “The name
and instead are seen by many people capture or production, acquisition and of the game for those in the trade is ‘sell
as ornaments, or fashionable pets for death, along with a continued distorted the fish as quickly as possible’, because
display and entertainment. For example, view of fish as products for display, and a then you’re passing the risk on to the
Siamese fighting fish are oten sold as disbelief in their sentience. But where do next buyer.” But it’s not only the cyanide
‘decorations’ or party favours, as well these fish come from? that can harm the captured fish though,
as for amusement purposes, and their mortality rates from stress, injury, disease
popularity is growing year on year. These and mistreatment in capture, transit
highly territorial fish are sold by pet shops “98 per cent of species of and when they are held as ‘stock’ in
and even online catalogues housed in saltwater fish currently retailers exceeds 80 per cent, according to
tiny cups or bowls in only a few litres of can’t be bred in captivity awionline.org.
water, to customers that know little about
how to care for them, or who want to see on a commercial scale” Cyanide impacts
them fight another fish for their territory. A shocking article uncovering cyanide
Shockingly, tanks that contain no According to information collected fishing in Biosensors and Bioelectronics,
more than one-half gallon of water (a by National Geographic, 98 per cent of estimates that during the past half century
size inadequate to give home to even species of saltwater fish currently can’t be more than 2.2 million pounds of cyanide
the tiniest ‘ornamental’ fish) continue bred in captivity on a commercial scale was used illegally across Philippine coral
to be sold. According to awionline.org, — instead, to supply the demand for the reefs (the largest supplier of live fish
Bed Bath and Beyond is one of many 1,800 species of marine aquarium fish in imported into the US), in order to seize fish
shops worldwide that sell tiny six-inch, the trade, they must be taken from ocean for the aquarium and live food trades. But,
half-gallon cube tanks. Horrendously, reefs. Divers capture about 30 million in addition to sometimes killing the desired
the retailer boasts on the product that, ornamental fish annually, with about fish, cyanide kills other fish, microscopic
‘They take up very little space and look 16 million entering the US, according animals, invertebrates like sea stars, snails,
great on counters, desks, podiums or even to a report from the US National Marine nudibranchs and crabs, as well as coral — in
mounted on a wall’, and their ‘Chic design Fisheries Service (coris.noaa.gov). Most parts of the world where over 95 per cent of
blends in nicely in a variety of household of these species are taken from reefs reefs are considered ‘at risk’.
or ofice settings and is a simple way in Southeast Asia, Fiji, Indonesia, the Sam Mamauag, biologist from the
to introduce a calming element to your Philippines, Kenya and Hawaii. Even International Marinelife Alliance in the
everyday environment’. To put human worse, most are caught from the wild Philippines, says that each live fish caught
enjoyment and convenience at the illegally, using poison, with up to 90 per with cyanide destroys roughly a square
expense of the welfare of a living creature cent of saltwater fish brought to the US metre of coral. Even extremely low doses
is unethical to say the least. Yet, even a for display being caught using sodium of the poison can cause bleaching, and
larger home tank, or established aquarium cyanide (peta.org). tamper with the coral’s biology, and
cannot provide the same diversity of To capture fish, divers saturate their sometimes, it is killed outright. When the
conditions and habitats that are found coral reef habitats in this toxic chemical coral of a reef dies, the entire ecosystem
in nature. They fail to meet both the compound, squirting it into coral cracks will collapse, and without coral, the
physiological and physical needs of the and crevices, which is then ingested creatures that depend on it, including reef
animals they contain, and oten, according by creatures living there. As reported fish, plants and crustaceans will no longer
to various animal rights organisations, in Scientific American, ‘The resulting have food, shelter or breeding grounds
these tanks are overstocked with fish living asphyxiation stuns some fish and sends — followed by an atermath of efects
in poor quality water, resulting in long- others into spasms, making them easy to that ripple up the food chain, afecting
term distress and premature death. Many grab by hand or net’, (scientificamerican. thousands of species.
scientists debate whether fish experience com). Rene Umberger, director of For Whilst the use of cyanide in this way
pain the same way that humans do, the Fishes (forthefishes.org) cites a is illegal in the Philippines, Indonesia and
but Dr. Culum Brown of Australia’s scientific study explaining the efects on Sri Lanka, it still occurs on a massive scale,
Macquarie University, in a 2015 paper on fish. She says that upon being squirted because enforcement is not strong enough.
animal cognition, concluded that, “Fish with cyanide, fish sufer: “Severe A World Wildlife Fund (wwf.org.uk) report
perception and cognitive abilities oten gasping, followed by loss of balance found that in the Philippines, private planes
match or exceed other vertebrates,” and and a complete loss of all respiratory bring in cyanide to fishermen, and then
that, “The extensive evidence of fish activity.” Umberger explains that some fly away the fish before authorities are

88