Speak Out for ALL Ocean Inhabitants on World Oceans Day

June 8 is World Oceans Day. Whilst many people will be speaking out for the protection of whales, dolphins and porpoises – which we obviously commend – isn’t it time that we also showed compassion towards all of the oceans’ inhabitants?

Scientists have determined that lobsters not only feel pain but also perhaps feel pain even more so than humans would in similar situations. According to invertebrate zoologist Jaren G. Horsley, “The lobster does not have an autonomic nervous system that puts it into a state of shock when it is harmed. It probably feels itself being cut. … I think the lobster is in a great deal of pain from being cut open … [and] feels all the pain until its nervous system is destroyed” during cooking.

Many crabs have their legs damaged and torn off when fishers quickly grab them out of nets. Like lobsters, crabs are often thrown into pots of scalding-hot water and boiled alive. The crabs fight so hard against a clearly painful death that their claws often break off in their struggle to escape. Some crabs used for food are electrocuted and some are chopped up – all while they are still conscious.

Fish are sensitive animals who suffer unspeakable horrors when they are caught for food. Scientists have shown time and time again that fish feel pain just as mammals and birds do. From the moment fish are caught in nets and dragged from the water, they begin to slowly suffocate. Fish who are farmed are completely conscious while their gills are cut and are then left to bleed to death.

Eating “seafood” isn’t smart either, as the flesh is frequently contaminated with mercury and other toxins. You wouldn’t dream of drinking water tainted by sewage and other contaminants, so why on Earth would you eat the creatures who are pulled from the oceans? Calling fishing “sustainable” is a popular marketing gimmick used by the industry, but eating sea animals – regardless of their numbers – only contributes to the decimation of the oceans’ ecosystem.

The only truly sustainable fish is faux, so why not celebrate World Oceans Day with some fishless fingers or mock lobster. These options taste the same, but unlike real fish, they are free from harmful toxins and, most importantly, don’t claim animals’ lives.

Protect the world’s oceans by signing PETA’s vegan pledge promising never again to eat any of the oceans’ inhabitants.