PETA Global Issue 2

Eating Fish Is Like Smoking

THE BIG FISH UE

Low-Tar Cigarettes The notion of “healthy” fish flesh is a myth. By Dr. Neal Barnard

Fish Illustration: © iStock.com/danleap | Chalk background: © iStock.com/subjug

S ome people eat fish because they think it’s a healthful choice. But is it? The facts might surprise you. For starters, Atlantic salmon flesh is about 40% fat. Chinook salmon’s fat content is even higher – over 50%. That load of fat is why, as a group, people who eat fish are heavier and have a higher risk of diabetes than people who avoid animal products altogether. And if you thought fish fat must be “good” fat – that is, omega-3 – well, the fact is that about three-quarters of the fat in fish is not omega-3 at all. It’s actually a mixture of other fats that pack a lot of calories and do your body no good. But what has health authorities especially concerned are pollutants frequently ingested by fish, such as methylmercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). As small fish are eaten by bigger fish – who, in turn, are eaten by even larger ones – these toxins become more and more concentrated. At the top of the food chain are the human beings who eat the flesh of such fish, not realizing that it may contain a load of pollutants. Wayne State University researchers found that women who regularly eat fish, even years before becoming pregnant, are more likely to have babies who are sluggish at birth and have developmental problems. Go Fish-Free Eating fish flesh under the misguided notion that it’s a healthy option is like smoking low-tar cigarettes. The far better choice is to eat plant-based foods instead. Walnuts, flax and chia seeds, leafy greens, navy beans, soybeans, mangoes, berries, winter squash, seaweed, and other vegan options contain omega-3 fatty acids, along with fiber and antioxidants – but without the harmful heavy metals, carcinogens, and cholesterol found in fish flesh. Leave Farmed Fish off Your Plate, Too Eating farmed fish is just as unhealthy as eating wild caught fish – maybe even more so. Tests on farmed

salmon purchased at US grocery stores, for example, show even more PCB contamination than in wild fish.

“Per pound, farmed salmon are fed more antibiotics than any other animals reared for slaughter.”

Farmed fish are also given huge quantities of antibiotics to stave off bacterial diseases and sea lice. Per pound, farmed salmon are fed more antibiotics than any other animals reared for slaughter. This contributes to the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and makes it increasingly difficult to treat some human diseases. And did you know that farmed salmon are dyed pink to look like their wild cousins? Scientists are now concerned that the artificial coloring can cause retinal damage. Fish farms are bad for the surrounding environment, too. They often discharge feces, pesticides, and other chemicals directly into ecologically fragile coastal waters, destroying local ecosystems. Farms that raise fish in fenced-in areas of natural waters kill off thriving natural habitats by overpopulating them far beyond their capacity. Waste from the high concentration of

fish can cause huge blankets of green slime on the water’s surface, depleting oxygen and killing much of the sea life. You can read more about fish farms, the detrimental effects of commercial fishing, and the harmful consequences that fish consumption has on human health at PETA.org. And if you’re hooked on the taste of sea animals, try vegan versions such as Gardein’s Fishless Filets and Crabless Cakes.

SO WHAT'S ON THE MENU?

52% of calories in salmon flesh are from fat J

Farmed salmon flesh is dyed pink, an addition that may cause retinal damge in humans

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7. 5 oz . Just

Farmed fish flesh contains high levels of mercury, PCBs, and antibiotics

per week of fish flesh in your diet can cause cognitive problems

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