Vox’s Future Good takes satisfaction in being one of many prime locations in media for constant, rigorous, ethically clear-eyed protection of one of many greatest tales of our time — the mass manufacturing of billions of animals for meals on manufacturing unit farms.
However there’s arguably an excellent greater, much more uncared for story hidden inside that one. Though people increase and slaughter about 80 billion land animals yearly, we use much more — orders of magnitude extra — fish and different aquatic animals for meals, with most estimates someplace within the tons of of billions and even trillions yearly. And the best way these animals make it to our plates is altering quickly: As of 2022, most of the fish that people eat will not be caught wild from the ocean however raised on fish farms, that are so merciless they’ve been extensively dubbed by animal welfare advocates as “underwater manufacturing unit farms.”
However that is about extra than simply numbers. Think about that the best way we catch and farm fish has monumental implications for the oceans that cowl the overwhelming majority of the Earth, and due to this fact for the way forward for life on Earth. And its affect will solely proceed to broaden: Fish farming, also called aquaculture, stays the fastest-growing agricultural sector globally.
So, this 12 months, we determined to dedicate a challenge to the mysterious, secretive, under-covered world of fish and the people who use them. We contemplate the evolving societal narratives that form which animals are seen as edible, beneficial, or worthy of compassion — from humanity’s try to quickly cultivate salmon (an animal that, within the wild, migrates alongside epic journeys of tons of of miles) and confine them to cramped farms, to the fascinating philosophical and moral foundations of the debate over whether or not fish really feel ache, to the case for taking shrimp significantly as ethical topics (sure, actually).
Spanning textual content tales, podcasts, and video, Consuming the Ocean represents a few of our deepest protection of fish and fish farming but — and it would simply problem you to rethink all the pieces in regards to the misunderstood aquatic creatures that populate most of our planet. Examine again for extra tales within the coming months.
The tales on this collection are supported by Animal Charity Evaluators, which obtained a grant from EarthShare. Vox Media had full discretion over the content material of this reporting.
—Marina Bolotnikova, deputy editor, Future Good
