Yes

by Brenda Nelson

Created on: April 25, 2009   Last Updated: July 12, 2011

When people think about cruelty in the pet industry they often think of puppy mills, abused dogs, neglected cats, and so on. People rarely consider the cruelty that exists behind,and within, the aquarium industry. Perhaps it is because people do not have any pictures of fish with big sad eyes. Perhaps it is because fish make no sound when they are suffering. It is time that people stopped turning their heads and consider the trauma that fish endure so they can bring tranquility into homes by gracing aquariums.

Catching

Some methods of catching fish are terribly cruel, and although illegal in some areas, 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 immediately (coral and other animals are certainly killed), those who are stunned are collected and sold in the aquarium 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.

Smuggling

Although people do not hear about it as often as they hear about cases where people were found smuggling other animals out of tropical countries, fish are often the victims of illegal smuggling. You may wonder how this hurts the fish. Smugglers are in it for the money, not for the care of the pet, they have removed an animal from its natural place (where it may even be endangered) taking fish out of the breeding population. The same care is not given as when properly transporting other legal animals. Smuggling is done cheaply for maximum profit gain, if animals die in the process, so be it. Sometimes smuggled animals are put to death when the smuggler is caught by authorities.

Death on the Road

From the 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 what the store pays for them to what they sell them for, 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", or "Painted Indian Glassy Fish". 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. When they are sold the new owner often purchases a tank too small (although bigger than the cup) and are sometimes told (by store staff) that the fish prefer tiny spaces. While it is true they sometimes live in small ponds, on the whole Betta fish prefer larger areas with shallow (1 foot deep) water. Most Betta fish die within in a year of purchase, far short of their 5-7 year lifespan.

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.

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.

Care

Fish are at the mercy of the owner. They might have a good owner, or a forgetful one. They do not have the ability to swim to an area where there is more food. Some owners over crowd the tanks or do not provide the right kind of hiding places that some fish enjoy. It has been proven incorrect that fish are stupid with short memories. Goldfish have been "taught" how to swim through mazes. Neglect of fishes mental needs for some visual stimulation is common.

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. Flushing a fish, or setting it "free" in a pond or creek, is a cruel death, a terrible way for a person to abandon their commitment to a pet.

Summary

For every fish that is sold in a pet store, several others have suffered and died. Buying a fish from a breeder (although harder to find) and setting up a tank in advance (allowing the water to age) before betting a fish, are two things a person can do to reduce deaths and cruelty. Additionally a person should make sure they want fish and be willing to care for them for the fishes lifetime. People should avoid buying fish who were "colored" or those Bettas kept in unsuitable cups.

Keeping fish themselves is not cruel if the tank is large enough, interesting, and well cleaned. It is the pet fish industry as a whole that is cruel.

Learn more about this author, Brenda Nelson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.