Narrated by actress and environmental activist Kristin Bauer, this Mercy For Animals investigation video reveals abuse of sensitive, intelligent fish at American farms.
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OVER 1 BILLION FISH
ARE FARMED FOR FOOD
EACH YEAR IN THE US
A Cramped Existence
Each tank contains thousands of fish living in filthy water. These conditions result in high stress levels and fatality rates for these animals.
Some fish, like catfish, will live in ponds for two years—if they survive. Up to 40 percent of these sensitive animals die before reaching a slaughterhouse. How? Many die from diseases that spread easily in crowded spaces.
In fish farms like these, infections triggered by high stocking densities, poor water quality, and chronic stress are fought by adding large amounts of antibiotics to the water.
Like other intensive farming systems, fish farming has been designated a “hotspot” for disease.
Painfully Shocked
At the slaughterhouse, these sensitive animals are dumped from tanks onto conveyor belts, where they are left for an extended time and begin to suffocate.
The investigator also documented fish being shocked with electrified prods. This immobilizes them so they are easier for workers to handle, but there is no evidence that it renders them insensible to pain.
They Have Extraordinary Abilities
They Have Extraordinary Abilities
The “whiskers” of catfish have taste receptors, allowing them to “sample” food before putting it in their mouths. Catfish are estimated to have 100 times more taste receptors than humans.
They Learn from One Another
They Learn from One Another
A study in the journal Animal Cognition reveals that fish are capable of learning by watching the actions of other fish, as well as cooperating toward common goals.
They Need Their Space
They Need Their Space
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University found that fish kept in small tanks become stressed and agitated, just like other animals kept in overcrowded or cramped conditions.
They Use Tools
They Use Tools
Science magazine reports that some fish use tools. A blackspot tuskfish, for example, was filmed using a rock to crack open a clam. According to Dr. Culum Brown, a behavioral ecologist at Macquarie University in Australia, tool use is probably common among fish, as it is in the rest of the animal kingdom.