NEW YORK – Touting tofu chowder and vegetarian sushi as alternatives, animal rights activists have launched a novel campaign arguing that fish – contrary to stereotype – are intelligent, sensitive animals no more deserving of being eaten than a pet dog or cat.
Called the Fish Empathy Project, the campaign reflects a strategy shift by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals as it challenges a diet component widely viewed as nutritious and uncontroversial.
“Fish are so misunderstood because they’re so far removed from our daily lives,” said Karin Robertson, 24, the Empathy Project manager and daughter of an Indiana fisheries biologist. “They’re such interesting, fascinating individuals, yet they’re so incredibly abused.”
The campaign is in its infancy and will face broad skepticism. Major groups such as the American Heart Association recommend fish as part of a healthy diet; some academics say it is wrong to portray the intelligence and pain sensitivity of fish as comparable to mammals.
“Fish are very complex organisms that do all sorts of fascinating things,” said University of Wyoming neuroscientist James Rose. “But to suggest they know they what’s happening to them and worry about it, that’s just not the case.”
The Empathy Project is a departure in two respects – attempting to depict the standard practices of commercial fishing as cruel and seeking to convince consumers that there are ethical reasons for not eating fish.
The project was inspired by several recent scientific studies – widely reported in Britain but little-noticed in the United States – detailing facets of fish intelligence.
Oxford University researcher Theresa Burt de Perera, for example, reported that the blind Mexican cave fish is able to interpret water pressure changes to construct a detailed mental map of its surroundings.
Chris Glass of the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences in Massachusetts led another recent study, showing how North Sea haddock developed abilities to avoid trawlers’ nets.
Associated Press
Bruch Friedrich and Karin Robertson are heading a campaign against killing and eating fish.
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