Fish Farming

Fish Farming is Torture

In recent culture, animal rights have become an issue that has gained a lot of attention with the help of the many celebrities and activist groups. Celebrities such as Alicia Keys, Alec Baldwin, and Paul McCartney help campaign animal rights for activist groups such as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), New-Harvest, and the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), who all fight for cruelty free treatment of animals that are used for animal testing, clothing, and meat. While the majority associates animal rights with mammals, the treatment of fish often fly under the radar, specifically in the use of fish for food. Aquacluture, or aqua farming, as it is more commonly known, has increased in popularity in recent years, so much so that, “More than 40 percent of all the fish consumed each year are now raised on land-based or ocean-based aqua farms where fish spend their entire lives in cramped, filthy enclosures, and where many suffer from parasitic infections, diseases, and debilitating injuries” (PETA). The treatment these aqua creatures are receiving is causing the fish to suffer immensely for the duration of their life, all the way up to death. Aqua farming is an inhumane practice; therefore, people must be educated on what aqua farming entails so its laws can be reformed in order for the practice to eventually be abolished.

While aqua farming defies a multitude of moral and ethical values, one can argue that it is a legitimate business, and for the aquaculture technicians, also known as aqua farmers, running these aqua farms, it is a phenomenal source of income. Even in the current recessed market, aquaculture still remains a $78 billion industry (Britanicca), making it hard for members of any capitalist society to find a problem with it. People will do whatever they can to make money, even if the reward requires killing innocent lives. Additionally, due to the fact that they are included in the...