As vegans, we choose not to eat ocean animals for many reasons. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people thought we did it only for cruelty reasons (which certainly are valid). But perhaps not many of our critics realize overfishing’s impact on humans. By taking huge amounts of fish from the stocks off the coasts of Africa and other areas, we are destroying the livelihoods of natives, and stealing their primary source of protein. Giant European trawlers plunder the seas for whatever will fill their nets, then throw the dead bycatch (the less attractive fish that don’t fetch a good price at market) back into the sea. Maybe you don’t care about killing fish or causing them pain. Maybe you don’t care about the environmental impact of taking millions of tons of life out of the oceans. But if you care about other people- those less fortunate than us (with our Long John Silver’s and Red Lobster)- you might want to consider the impact of your seafood purchase.

Video via Greenpeace and The End of the Line

A great animated video explaining why Bluefin tuna are in such trouble. A quick way to get up to speed on the issue, so you can tell your friends why you go for the veggie sushi instead of ocean-emptying seafood. Maybe throw this up on your facebook? Overfishing is most urgent for Bluefin, but really, considering what scientists are telling us, it is pretty clear that we should not be eating any animals from the sea.

We have one year to save the bluefin
www.howtosavethebluefin.com

The Atlantic bluefin tuna can grow up to 10 feet and weigh more than a thousand pounds.

We are about a month into our “No Mo Toro” campaign aimed at getting Atlantic bluefin tuna (in it’s many-named disguises) off of Denver sushi restaurant menus. If you’re wondering why we are so into saving a fish, here’s an informative (albeit slightly long) article from the New York Times that explains what is happening to these majestic animals, why they are so important, and more information on the fishing industry at large.