Every year, at least 28 trillion aquatic animals are caught and farmed for human consumption. Recent research by Rethink Priorities estimates that this figure will grow by 45% over the next ten years.(1)

The way we speak of “tons of fish” or “schools of fish” obscures the reality behind these colossal numbers: those who are there are actually a crowd of individuals, capable of feeling and experiencing what happens to them. What if we began to see each fish, each octopus or each shrimp, for what they really are: individual beings with subjective experiences of their own?

Fishing

The suffering endured by animals caught in their aquatic environments is difficult to imagine. In trawl nets, fishes and invertebrates are often severely injured as they are dragged across rocks and debris on the seafloor. When pulled to the surface, many experience barotrauma—internal organs rupture from the sudden change in pressure. Those who survive this trauma may be crushed under the weight of thousands of other animals, suffocated, or frozen alive onboard fishing vessels.

Many animals become entangled in drift nets for days, suffering injuries and extreme exhaustion before finally dying.

It is estimated that between 1.1 and 2.2 trillion fishes(2) along with between 6 and 66 trillion shrimps (3) are caught annually in the wild for human consumption. In addition, approximately 20 million tons of marine animals are harshly discarded annually - about a quarter of the total marine catch - because they are of no commercial value: perhaps the wrong species, too small, too injured, or illegally caught. Importantly, only reported cases are counted and do not include unreported discards at ports or from aquaculture facilities.

Sport fishing also causes immense suffering. Hooks tear into mouths and internal organs, deforming tissue and causing bleeding. It is estimated that between 125 and 375 billion animals die each year due to recreational fishing.(4)

Aquatic animal farms

The suffering isn’t limited to wild-caught animals. Aquaculture, or aquatic animal farming, is expanding rapidly around the world, both at sea and on land. Today, an estimated 133 billion fishes and at least 630 billion crustaceans including crabs, shrimps and lobsters, both marine and freshwater, are raised and killed each year in these farms. Of this amount, around 440 billion are shrimps.(5) both marine and freshwater, are raised and killed each year in these farms. Of this amount, around 440 billion are shrimps.(6)

These farms are the aquatic equivalent of industrialized terrestrial farms and often crowd tens of thousands of animals into confined, turbid waters, creating environments rife with disease, stress and early death. To mitigate disease outbreaks, farmers frequently rely on large quantities of antibiotics and other drugs, enabling continued exploitation under the same conditions.(7) ⠀

During harvesting, animals are often beaten and crushed. They are killed using methods like asphyxiation or live freezing. When fishes are placed on ice, cold receptors fire, metabolism slows painfully, and hypothermia sets in. This process can result in prolonged distress before the animal loses consciousness.(8)

Even so-called “humane” killing methods such as electrical stunning may leave fishes paralyzed but still conscious during packaging or butchering. Saltwater crustaceans are often killed by immersion in freshwater, leading to osmotic shock and a slow, agonizing death.(9)

Scientific evidence on the capacity to feel

Most people accept that mammals and perhaps other vertebrates can feel pain. Even though this awareness doesn't usually lead to giving these animals the moral consideration they deserve, when it comes to aquatic animals, especially fish and invertebrates, they often receive far less moral consideration.

Yet scientific evidence increasingly shows that these animals do experience suffering. Fishes possess nociceptors (pain receptors), and they process sensory information in ways similar to mammals or birds.(12) When injured, they exhibit behavioral changes that go beyond reflexes, such as avoiding similar situations in the future, suggesting conscious awareness of pain.

Octopuses and other cephalopods also have nociceptors and show behaviors that clearly indicate sentience. They solve complex problems, use tools, and learn through observation—abilities that imply the presence of subjective experiences.

Even crustaceans like crabs, shrimps, and lobsters, demonstrate behaviour consistent with suffering and memory. Beyond just reacting to painful stimuli, they've been observed actively avoiding situations where they previously had that experience.(13)

Speciesism and its consequences for aquatic animals

Just as land animals suffer terribly from speciesism—discrimination based on their species—aquatic animals are made to suffer even more. They’re exploited more harshly and in far greater numbers from fishing and aquaculture, and their suffering is largely ignored.

We tend to view fishes and invertebrates as evolutionarily distant, primitive, and incapable of feeling. Their anatomy and behaviors differ from ours: eyes on the sides of their heads, no facial expressions, no recognizable sounds. So when we see a fish or shrimp writhing or gasping on the deck of a boat, as it struggles to survive, we do not instinctively empathize. But our lack of familiarity doesn’t mean their lack of sentience. They are animals that have their own interests, regardless of their usefulness to humans or their ecological function. We should not disregard the scientific and visible evidence that aquatic animals can suffer.

This disregard has had far-reaching consequences:

- Aquatic animals are subjected to conditions we would not accept for land animals.

- Scientific fields involving these animals fail to prioritize their capacity to feel.

- Many people who stop eating land animals (like chickens, pigs, or cows), continue consuming fishes and other aquatic animals.

- There are far fewer advocates working to defend fishes and aquatic invertebrates compared to those defending other animals.

A shift in perspective

If we want real change in our relationship with other animals, we should also recognize fishes and aquatic invertebrates as individuals with the capacity to feel and with their own interests.

These animals, especially aquatic invertebrates, face the burgeoning growth in aquaculture, which is often marketed as a sustainable alternative to wild fisheries. It's crucial to raise awareness about this danger and promote antispeciesism and veganism to help them.

Work by Animals' View

Direction and cinematography by Xiana Castro

With the collaboration of Aditya SK , Nayan Agarwal, Eira Do Val, Avantika Mathur, Animal Save India and Generation Vegan.

Texts by Animals' View editorial team and photos by Eira Do Val.

Design and photography of poster Ruth Montiel Arias.

Published in May 2025