Fish are sentient beings and they deserve to

get more respect.

A lot of people believe that the feelings of fish don't matter. Their pain and trauma don't mean a thing. This breaks my heart. Besides that, there are several other important reasons that vegans keep these innocent beings off of their plates.

1. The fishing industry is the largest source of pollution in the ocean.

I had no idea this was a problem. After looking into it more, I realized I couldn't really be an environmentalist while supporting these industries! A study by scientists with Ocean Cleanup, an organization working to develop technologies to reduce ocean plastic, found that at least 46 percent of the plastic in the Great Pacific garbage patch, a floating gyre the size of France made up of plastic, comes from fishing nets. Discarded fishing gear makes up the majority of the rest!

Other creatures also get caught in nets and die slow, painful deaths. I wouldn't wish this type of death on my worst enemy, let alone sweet innocent creatures that are caught up in our junk. Check out this article to learn more and please try vegan fish products. They're absolutely delicious!

2. Oceans may be fishless by 2048.

Overfishing might actually eliminate fish entirely from the ocean, horribly effecting its ecosystem. It's one thing if there are areas of the world where fishing is a real source of survival (hopefully things can progress enough in the future to give them other cruelty-free options), but we've taken it to a whole other level to feed our greedy seafood addictions and it's time to stop.

3. Fish DO feel pain.

Check out this article by the Smithsonian Magazine. They debunk the myth that fish do not feel pain. Forget about the sharp pain of a hook in your mouth pulling you violently, imagine what it must be like to be ripped out of where you live and the feeling of slowly suffocating starts to take over. Hook injuries can also cause difficulties for fish to eat if the fisherman is "nice" enough to release them.

I know that fishing can be a fun childhood memory and something people do for sentimental reasons. My grandpa use to fish. I was never interested though even as a child...the thought of stabbing a worm absolutely disgusted me so I refused to do it. Why not start some new traditions with your family, like looking for salamanders, frogs, and certain plants and trees around a body of water? ("Look for" as in point out creatures). You could even look for rocks to bring home to paint or decorate with!

Do you have other fun suggestions to do around lakes, ponds, rivers, and oceans that don't require hurting beings? Leave your suggestions in the comments!