Cruelty in the Aquarium Industry
When we think about cruelty in the pet industry we often think of puppy mills, abused dogs, neglected cats, and so on. People rarely consider the cruelty that exists behind the aquarium industry. Perhaps it is because we don’t have any pictures of them with sad eyes. Perhaps it is because they make no sound when they are suffering. It is time we stopped turning our heads and consider the trauma they endure so they can bring tranquility into our homes by gracing our tanks.
Catching
Some methods of catching fish are terribly cruel, and although illegal they still continue today. These methods consist of dumping poison on a coral reef or using an explosive in the water. Some fish are killed (coral and other animals are certainly killed), those who are stunned are collected and sold in the pet industry.
These methods primarily take place for the purpose of collecting marine (salt water) fish, as they are harder to breed in captivity and the demand exceeds producers ability to keep up.
Death on the Road
From breeders fish must be transported to the stores. They are placed in bags and shipped, the bags often contain very small amounts of water, and larger amounts of air. To reduce shipping costs and space as many fish are put in a bag as possible, in the case of Betta fish, each one is put in a bag as small as three inches square.
Any temperature fluctuation and an entire shipment could be killed. Any delays in time and the fish quite simply run out of air. It is normal for a shipment to arrive with a percentage of dead fish, the store owner simply puts a “claim” into the supplier. Fish (and all animals sold in pet stores) have a very high price inflation from the time the store gets them to the time they sell them, the prices are often marked up 500% or more. This is to offset the loss that occurs with live animals.
Good Looks at What Cost?
There are two hideous practices that take place in the industry. One is injecting fish with dye to add new colors, the other is to paint them with non-toxic paint. Fish of lighter colors, or those who are “clear” are often the victims of this practice. The stores do not lie to people about this, often giving them names like “Tattoo Painted Cichlids” (above) or “Painted Indian Glassy Fish” (below). However, most people do not realize the names are literal.
Betta Fish
These poor little colorful fish suffer in many ways, the worst being that they are often displayed in tiny cups. These cups often do not even allow the fish to straighted its body, or do any amount of real swimming. A lack of exercise makes them less healthy, but it serves the purpose of the store owner, which is to fit in as many fish into the store as he/she can.
Dead at Your House
When people buy fish there are inevitably losses. From mistakes in adding the new fish, to mistakes in conditioning the water, fish die all the time before they have even spent 48 hours in their “new home”. All too often the person returns to the pet store and gets another.. and another.. until they finally have success with a living fish. Even if the fish settles in nicely, they are sometimes neglected, or over fed by children, leading to an untimely death.
Stunted Growth
Some species of fish can grow to very large sizes, but when kept in smaller tanks they do not reach their full potential. Even stores promote stunting fish growth by actively telling people that goldfish (for example) will not grow bigger than the tank you put them in and can therefore be kept in small bowls.
The Flush
People often discard unwanted fish by flushing them down the toilet. If anyone did this to a hamster (other than the fact it would clog the toilet) they could be charged with cruelty. Make no mistake, fish cannot live in the sewer, nor could they swim to the ocean as in the movie “Nemo”, they are going to die a horrible death.
Good Environment
This stunning tank is in a restaurant in Dubai. Obviously the utmost care goes into these fish and keeping them well looked after, this includes the fact that some are hand fed. Their tank is roomy and interesting, the question remains, how many died and suffered so the Hotel could have this amazing feature? If those corals are indeed alive, what reef were they removed from, and at what cost to the other creatures living there?
Summary
For every fish that is sold in a pet store, several others have suffered and died. It is a choice a person has to make before acquiring a fish tank, are you willing to play a role in supporting an industry that tolerates such cruelty?
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User Comments
Evelyn Moore
On April 23, 2009 at 2:50 am
Thank you for telling us about this – I have to admit to not having considered this before.
Daisy Peasblossom
On April 23, 2009 at 7:24 am
Catching just about anything from the wild to make it a pet has some part of this story. Hmmm…what’s the answer…catch our own? Local minnows aren’t as pretty as Betas, but I’d know where they came from.
Mark Gordon Brown
On April 23, 2009 at 9:16 am
I bought 3 Bettas from a breeder – he also imported a lot of fish from Hong Kong, I happened to be at his place when a shipment came in, a lot of the fish were dead – more than 50%, this was a higher loss than usual (or so he said). the dumpster stank for weeks.
jazzd
On April 23, 2009 at 10:48 am
Nice read. Good to see you again.
Jo Oliver
On April 23, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Wonderful read. I am sure most people never stop to think about the welfare of a fish. I hate it when people, biz, etc. get anything and fail to take proper care of it. This might be a good series for you. Dogs and cats get all the attention, but what about all the other pets that are not cared for?
clay hurtubise
On April 23, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Like always, an interesting, fact filled read!
Thanks,
Clay
Lego
On April 23, 2009 at 8:08 pm
The big difference is that fish feel no pain whatsoever.
They feel a sense of anguish, but unlike a dog or cat, they dont feel the pain…
That’s why nobody gets charged for fish cruelty.
Emma C S
On April 25, 2009 at 1:16 pm
That’s appalling! I didn’t know any of that. I’m glad that when I was a kid I just stuck to goldfish. People say they’re stupid and have few feelings, but I don’t think that’s true. I had a fish called “Goldie” (I was original with names when I was
who lived for nearly 6 years. He was grouchy but he knew when it was time for feeding and he knew the difference between me and my dad or my sister. He even knew when we were going to clean the tank. I can’t beleive anyone would be so cruel to something just because it isn’t “cute and fluffy”.
Ruby Hawk
On April 25, 2009 at 1:27 pm
I feel sorry for all creatures who are mistreated. You would think regulations would be in place. too bad they are not.
Stella
On June 8, 2009 at 3:50 am
we should stop cruelty to all animals even fish its bad how would you like it if it was you!!!!!!!
Nico
On June 9, 2009 at 7:22 am
Dixit Lego :
“The big difference is that fish feel no pain whatsoever.
They feel a sense of anguish, but unlike a dog or cat, they dont feel the pain…
That’s why nobody gets charged for fish cruelty.”
Doncha luv it ! Such an authoritative statement from someone demonstrating that they have fewer neurons (let alone pain receptors) than an anchovy.
In most of the world, Lego me old brick, nobody gets charged with cruelty to animals of any sort (in some places that even extends to children and to rape victims). The fact that nobody in Korea, for example, gets charged with cruelty to dogs for dislocating their legs and hanging them up pre-cooking PROVES – according to your argument – that Korean dogs feel no pain. Otherwise they wouldn’t let people do it, would they?
akvaryum
On June 15, 2009 at 7:16 am
wooooowwww its veryyy goood
akvaryum
andy
On June 20, 2009 at 9:22 am
i take it everyone who thinks this is bad is vegan.
alot of what is in this article is true and many many fish die every year due to the hoby. that said alot of money and research into habitat conservation is bourne out of the hobby as well.
why would anyone care about reefs if not for the aquarium trade.
billions of fish are eaten for dinner every year how many have you had yourself. while this article is acurate it is a little imbalanced does it mention the fairtrade practices being introduced for fish collection to help people and fish alike. does it mentoion breeders reintroducing fish to the wild. many many aquarium hobbyists are the same people working ona nd donating to conservation programs.
their are also laws which govern what can be taken from and how from the seas.
ill be honest if you drive a car or watch tv you are killing reefs faster than aquarists. indeed just being on your computer is killing reefs.
andy
On June 20, 2009 at 9:24 am
oh and the dying and tatooing of fish is widely frowned upon in the aquarium industry most retailers wont go near these fish. certainly in the uk.
i not no mention is made of the man many stockists who have signed up to a charter not to sell these fish.
martie
On July 29, 2009 at 7:32 am
Great article. I could never bring myself to own fish because keeping them in a little bowl seemed so cruel.
CoolgirlVictoria
On September 24, 2009 at 11:54 pm
Your article got straight to the point and was very important. People should treat fish with just as much respect as a cute puppy does. Great writing!
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