FISH

Trillions Of Fish
Cashion T, Le Manach F, Pauly D, Zeller D. Estimates of numbers and biomass of wild-caught fish globally. Conserv Biol. 2024

"Here, we estimate global numbers of wild-caught finfishes using FAO capture production (landing) tonnages (2000-2019 data) and estimates of mean individual weight at capture, based on internet-sourced capture and market weights. We estimate that between 1,100 and 2,200 billion (1.1-2.2 × 1012), or 1.1-2.2 trillion, wild finfishes were caught annually, on average, during 2000-2019."(paragraph 1).

All Animals
Herrero M, Thornton PK, Mason-D’Croz D, et al. Livestock systems and the sustainable development goals. Annu Rev Anim Biosci. 2021

"An estimated 69 billion chickens, 656 million turkeys, 1.5 billion pigs, 302 million cattle, 574 million sheep, and 479 million goats were slaughtered worldwide for meat production in 2018"(paragraph 1)

Mood A, Gollock M, Copley H, et al. Estimating global numbers of fishes caught from the wild. Biol Conserv. 2024

"Those that are alive when retrieved onboard are generally not stunned and die from live gutting and/or asphyxiation in air or ice water"(Animal welfare implication-paragraph 4)

Broom DM, Lambooij B, Reimert HGM, van de Vis JW. Slaughter of rainbow trout: amount and duration of suffering. Sci Rep. 2025

"We apply this framework to quantify the welfare impact of air asphyxia during fish slaughter, using rainbow trout as a case study. Based on a review of research on stress responses during asphyxiation, we estimate 10 (1.9–21.7) min of moderate to intense pain per trout or 24 (3.5–74) min/kg. "(paragraph 1)

Course G, Pierre J, Howell BK. What's in the Net? Using camera technology to monitor, and support mitigation of, wildlife bycatch in fisheries. Gland, Switzerland: WWF; 2020

"ETP bycatch is a significant issue globally. Every year, it is estimated that fisheries bycatch kills: 720,000 Seabirds, 300,000 whales and dolphins, 345,000 seals and sealions, over 250,000 turtles, 120,000 sea snakes (in one fishery alone), 1,135,000 tonnes of sharks and rays, as well as many thousands of tonnes of protected coral."

Stien LH, Noble C, Izquierdo-Gomez D, Bui S, Amble S, Lind MB. An underwater risk scale for monitoring the crowding intensities of Atlantic salmon in commercial net pens using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), v0.1. Aquaculture Reports. 2025;103109. doi:10.1016/j.aqrep.2025.103109

"Crowding is a common aquacultural procedure and its monitoring and management is key to limiting its potential detrimental effects upon the fish."

"We do know that higher crowding intensities in cages can increase the risk of poor water quality (Noble et al., 2018), can increase cortisol levels and lead to increased micro-level skin damage (Stien et al., 2024)."

Fish Are Main Source Of Mercury
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. How People are Exposed to Mercury. Published March 6, 2025.

"The most common way people in the United States are exposed to mercury is by eating fish containing methylmercury." ("How People are Exposed to Mercury" section)

Mercury Is A Neurotoxin
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Health Effects of Exposures to Mercury. Published December 5, 2024

"Exposure to methylmercury most commonly occurs when people eat kinds of fish and shellfish that have high levels of methylmercury in their tissues. ... Infants in the womb can be exposed to methylmercury... This exposure can adversely affect unborn infants' growing brains and nervous systems." ("Effects on People of All Ages" section.)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Fact Sheet. Washington, DC: EPA; 2024

"Fish consumption appears to be the major pathway of exposure. PCBs do not easily break down, and can bioaccumulate in the fatty tissues of fish and mammals. A significant trend of increasing body burden is associated with increased fish consumption."(page 1)

Brodziak-Dopierała B, Fischer A, Chrzanowska M, et al. Mercury exposure from the consumption of dietary supplements containing vegetable, cod liver, and shark liver oils. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(9):7020. doi:10.3390/ijerph20097020

"Vegetable and fish oils constitute a significant part of all dietary supplements. Due to increasing environmental pollution, the raw materials used for their production may be contaminated with toxic substances, including metals." (Abstract)

Ocean Floor Trawling Size
Clark JR, et al. A Global Map of Seafloor Carbon Storage and Its Vulnerability to Bottom Trawling. Nature. Published March 17, 2021

"Using satellite-inferred information on fishing activity by industrial trawlers and dredgers between 2016 and 2019, aggregated at a resolution of 1 km2, we estimate that 4.9 million km2 or 1.3% of the global ocean is trawled each year. (page 3) India is 3.28 million km2

Alters Ocean Floor
Hiddink JD, et al. Trawl impacts on the relative status of biotic communities of seabed sedimentary habitats in 24 regions worldwide. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2022;119(2):e2109449119.

Seabed status differed greatly among regions (from 0.25 to 0.999, relative to an untrawled state...but 1.5% had status = 0." (Abstract) This means some areas were moderately damaged, while others were severely damaged, with a small portion completely stripped of life

Trawler CO2 Emissions
Clark JR, et al. A Global Map of Seafloor Carbon Storage and Its Vulnerability to Bottom Trawling. Nature. Published March 17, 2021

"If the intensity and footprint of trawling remains constant, we estimate that sediment carbon emissions will continue at approximately 0.58 Pg CO2 for up to around 400 years of trawling, after which all of the sediments in the top metre are depleted." (page 3) Pg (pentagram) = GT (gigaton)

Aviation CO2 Emmissions
International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). CO₂ emissions from commercial aviation, 2018. Published September 2019.

"Total CO2 emissions from all commercial operations, including passenger movement, belly freight, and dedicated freight, totaled 918 million metric tons (MMT) in 2018." (summary)

0.58 gigatons from trawling / 918 million metric tons (0.918 gigatons) from aviation = 63%.

Some media reports claimed trawling emissions are the same as aviation, but they used the average of 0.58 and 1.47 PG range (1.025 PG), not the more accurate long term 0.58 PG.

References include government, industry, and peer-reviewed sources. Some footage was filmed outside the U.S. but reflects standard industry practices. These images are the G-rated version. For the R-rated truth, watch this.