That’s right! I don’t even consume fish. Why? Because I have a pet fish named Johnson! Just kidding, not the real reason… sort of. Here are a couple reasons why I don’t consume fish. I am going to keep it short and simple, so here we go:

Microplastic

Scientist are saying if we continue to pollute our ocean with plastics, those of you that are fish consumer, will be consuming around 246 microplastics a year. A study shows that for those consuming shellfish will be ingesting around 11,000 microplastics a year. By ingesting these microplastics, studies show that it can physically damage our organs and effect our health in the long run.

Fish themselves, consume around 11,000 mircoplastics a year. Around 23,000 billions of fish are caught in fishing net each year. Unwanted fish like dolphins and shark suffocate in these fish nets.

Industrial Chemicals

• PCBs
• Mercury
• DDT
• PBDEs
• Dioxins

These chemicals get leaked into our environment. A couple of these chemicals are no longer used but somehow still found in our environment. Fish can in take these chemicals by the water they live in and the food they eat. Mercury is the widely known chemical found in fish. Over the years mercury that has been found in fish have increased. Mercury can affect the nervous system, digestive system and the immune system. It can also effect the lungs, kidneys and sometimes could be fatal. That’s why doctors don’t allow pregnant women to consume a list of fish and to avoid raw fish.

FISH CAN FEEL PAIN TOO!

“It is impossible to definitively know whether another creature’s subjective experience is like our own. But that is beside the point. We do not know whether cats, dogs, lab animals, chickens, and cattle feel pain the way we do, yet we still afford them increasingly humane treatment and legal protections because they have demonstrated an ability to suffer.”

Read more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/fish-feel-pain-180967764/#TFUV6QCpE01Xt7ft.99 , https://awionline.org/awi-quarterly/2011-winter/do-fish-feel-pain

For many year people have believed fish don’t feel pain. According to Braithwaite, fish do feel pain. They might not feel the same pain us humans feel but they feel some sort of pain. I left the link above so you guys can take a read of the type of pain fish feel.

My Own Theory:

As I mentioned in the beginning of the article I have a pet fish (Johnson). As a fish owner, I saw him in several different mood. One incident in particular, I was changing his 3 gallon, 360 fish tank and while I was cleaning it, I broke my thermometer for his tank. I didn’t bother to go out and get a new one (lesson learned). I cleaned his tank, put back the decorations, placed in his heater and added a couple drops of water conditioner. It was time for Johnson to go back in. Once he was in his tank I noticed he was still and out of nowhere started to swim frantically. I panicked trying to figure out what was wrong and I realized the water was too hot! So I quickly took action and dumped out half the water and put in cold water until he was back to normal. Once the temperature was back to his liking, he was in the bottom of his tank display exhaustion. This incident may me believe fish do feel pain and could somehow express emotions.

For those of you that are concern about my omega 3s, I have other sources I get it from. Like flax seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, chia seeds and more!

Links: https://oehha.ca.gov/fish/chemicals-fish , https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/environment/plastic-microparticles-fish-flesh-eaten-humans-food-chain-mackerel-anchovy-mullet-a7860726.html%3famp , https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/feb/14/sea-to-plate-plastic-got-into-fish ,