do you have sympathy for feeder gold fish?
- Thread starter trojan09
- Start date
I do but that is because I had a pet "feeder" comet for 8 years. Very goofy but fun fish. I just bought 4 feeder comets today for my new pond and I like them.
vladfloroff;4329618; said:Unless you hunt/fish you are just as full of it as the PETA people, you are a mooch predator. As far as ASPCA again total crap. Spay and neuter your animals prevents litters not keeping them. A basic biology class might be a good idea. Also adopting abandoned pets doesn't add to the problem BUYING from pet stores fuels the breeders.
Back on topic. I can't really feel sympathy for the fish being eaten. If it's born it will die, no avoiding that. Once it dies it will get eaten, even humans rot in the ground. So long as the kill is quick (even minutes) beats the hell out of rotting in a nursing home sometimes for years. So I do feel bad about their living conditions but dieing is a function of living. Until that changes I can't see the logic in feeling bad about it. That said it is our responsibility to treat our food humanly. This has the added advantage of getting your wife to let you get a $8K Barret for deer hunting, instant kill guaranteed.
You seriously have a .50 caliber rifle for deer hunting? Little bit overkill? Reminds me of when I was a kid, one of my dad's friends brought a fully auto M16 for squirrel hunting.
kevinfleming21;4333422; said:
i'm pretty sure he didn't bring it to hunt squirrel hunting, he brought it to have fun lol.
as far as having sympathy for feeders, maybe a little. enough to not feed them to any of my fish ever. but i guess that means i don't have sympathy for earthworms or nightcrawlers, crickets, beetles, grubs, lizards, or grasshoppers
http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=30
Fragile tropical fish, who were born to dwell in the majestic seas and forage among brilliantly colored coral reefs, suffer miserably when they are forced to spend their lives in glass tanks. The same is true of river fish. Robbed of their natural habitats and denied the ability to travel freely, they must swim around in the same few cubic inches of water endlessly.
Where Fish Really Come From
The popularity of keeping tropical fish has created a virtually unregulated industry that catches and breeds as many fish as possible with little regard for the animals themselves. While many species of coral are protected under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species, most of the fish who end up in aquariums are not.(1)
An estimated 95 percent of saltwater fish sold in pet shops came from the wild, mostly from the waters around Indonesia, the Philippines, Fiji, and other Pacific islands.(2) More than 20 million fish, 12 million corals, and 10 million other types of marine lifelike anemones, shrimps, and mollusksare captured every year to support a $300 million worldwide hobby.(3)
Collectors douse the coral reefs with cyanide, which is ingested by the fish who live there, and as reported in Scientific American, [t]he resulting asphyxiation stuns some fish and sends others into spasms, making them easy to grab by hand or net.(4) Half the affected fish die on the reef, and 40 percent of those who survive the initial poisoning die before they reach an aquarium.(5) Cyanide also kills the coral reefs themselves, and marine biologists rank it as one of the biggest dangers in Southeast Asian waters.(6)
Goldfish are usually raised in giant tubs on fish farms that raise as many as 250 million fish per year.(7) These animals are sold to zoos, pet stores, and bait shops, and many are doomed to live in plastic bags or bowls, neither of which provides the space or oxygen that goldfish need. The city of Monza, Italy, banned keeping goldfish in bowls because the containers do not meet the needs of the animals and because, as one sponsor of the law pointed out, bowls give fish a distorted view of reality.(8)
Some fish farms are seeking new market niches by creating fish breeds that would never occur in nature, treating fish as ornaments instead of living animals. Some breeders even paint fish by injecting fluorescent dyes into the animals bodies or altering their genetic makeup to make them more attractive to buyers.(9)
Fish Can Speak, Make Tools, and Think
Fish have cognitive abilities that equal and sometimes surpass those of non-human primates. They can recognize individuals, use tools, and maintain complex social relationships.(10) Biologists wrote in Fish and Fisheries that fish are steeped in social intelligence, pursuing Machiavellian strategies of manipulation, punishment and reconciliation, exhibiting stable cultural traditions, and co-operating to inspect predators and catch food.(11) Fish communicate with one another through a range of low-frequency soundsfrom buzzes and clicks to yelps and sobs. These sounds, which are audible to humans only with the use of special instruments, communicate emotional states such as alarm or delight and help with courtship.(12) The pumps and filters necessary in many home aquariums can interfere with this communication. [A]t the least, were disrupting their communication; at worst, were driving them bonkers, says ichthyologist Phillip Lobel.(13)
What You Can Do
Please dont support the tropical fish trade by purchasing fish. If you enjoy watching fish, consider downloading one of the many colorful and realistic fish computer screensavers available on the Web. Dont support businesses or fairs that give fish away in contests or promotions. In the United Kingdom and Wales, it is illegal to give fish as prizes or sell animals to children under the age of 16, and guardians must provide a suitable environment for all animals.(14) A similar law is in effect in Reggio Emilia, Italy.(15)
Siamese fighting fish, who are often sold as decorations or party favors, are fighting for their lives as their popularity grows. Pet shops, discount superstores, florists, and even online catalogs sell Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) in tiny cups or flower vases to consumers who are often uneducated about proper betta care. Many people mistakenly believe that betta fish must be confined alone and that they can survive without being fed in a so-called complete ecosystem that consists of nothing more than a vase and a plant. As a result, fish are sentenced to dull, lonely lives and slow deaths by starvation. These tiny containers are not suitable for any fish. While betta males do not get along well with each other, they are able to live with other types of fish in a community aquarium.
Biologists say that there is no safe way to return captive fish to their natural environmentswhich are often located in a completely different region of the worldbecause of the difficulty in locating such a habitat and the possibility of introducing disease to the other fish there. Researchers have found many species of non-native fish, including predatory species, living off the coast of Florida, and they attribute these populations to careless aquarium owners.(16) These fish pose a real threat to native species. Never flush fish down the toilet in the hope of freeing them, as seen in the popular movie Finding Nemo. Even if a fish survived the shock of being put into the swirling fresh water, he or she would die a painful death in the plumbing system or at the water treatment plant.(17)
Fragile tropical fish, who were born to dwell in the majestic seas and forage among brilliantly colored coral reefs, suffer miserably when they are forced to spend their lives in glass tanks. The same is true of river fish. Robbed of their natural habitats and denied the ability to travel freely, they must swim around in the same few cubic inches of water endlessly.
Where Fish Really Come From
The popularity of keeping tropical fish has created a virtually unregulated industry that catches and breeds as many fish as possible with little regard for the animals themselves. While many species of coral are protected under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species, most of the fish who end up in aquariums are not.(1)
An estimated 95 percent of saltwater fish sold in pet shops came from the wild, mostly from the waters around Indonesia, the Philippines, Fiji, and other Pacific islands.(2) More than 20 million fish, 12 million corals, and 10 million other types of marine lifelike anemones, shrimps, and mollusksare captured every year to support a $300 million worldwide hobby.(3)
Collectors douse the coral reefs with cyanide, which is ingested by the fish who live there, and as reported in Scientific American, [t]he resulting asphyxiation stuns some fish and sends others into spasms, making them easy to grab by hand or net.(4) Half the affected fish die on the reef, and 40 percent of those who survive the initial poisoning die before they reach an aquarium.(5) Cyanide also kills the coral reefs themselves, and marine biologists rank it as one of the biggest dangers in Southeast Asian waters.(6)
Goldfish are usually raised in giant tubs on fish farms that raise as many as 250 million fish per year.(7) These animals are sold to zoos, pet stores, and bait shops, and many are doomed to live in plastic bags or bowls, neither of which provides the space or oxygen that goldfish need. The city of Monza, Italy, banned keeping goldfish in bowls because the containers do not meet the needs of the animals and because, as one sponsor of the law pointed out, bowls give fish a distorted view of reality.(8)
Some fish farms are seeking new market niches by creating fish breeds that would never occur in nature, treating fish as ornaments instead of living animals. Some breeders even paint fish by injecting fluorescent dyes into the animals bodies or altering their genetic makeup to make them more attractive to buyers.(9)
Fish Can Speak, Make Tools, and Think
Fish have cognitive abilities that equal and sometimes surpass those of non-human primates. They can recognize individuals, use tools, and maintain complex social relationships.(10) Biologists wrote in Fish and Fisheries that fish are steeped in social intelligence, pursuing Machiavellian strategies of manipulation, punishment and reconciliation, exhibiting stable cultural traditions, and co-operating to inspect predators and catch food.(11) Fish communicate with one another through a range of low-frequency soundsfrom buzzes and clicks to yelps and sobs. These sounds, which are audible to humans only with the use of special instruments, communicate emotional states such as alarm or delight and help with courtship.(12) The pumps and filters necessary in many home aquariums can interfere with this communication. [A]t the least, were disrupting their communication; at worst, were driving them bonkers, says ichthyologist Phillip Lobel.(13)
What You Can Do
Please dont support the tropical fish trade by purchasing fish. If you enjoy watching fish, consider downloading one of the many colorful and realistic fish computer screensavers available on the Web. Dont support businesses or fairs that give fish away in contests or promotions. In the United Kingdom and Wales, it is illegal to give fish as prizes or sell animals to children under the age of 16, and guardians must provide a suitable environment for all animals.(14) A similar law is in effect in Reggio Emilia, Italy.(15)
Siamese fighting fish, who are often sold as decorations or party favors, are fighting for their lives as their popularity grows. Pet shops, discount superstores, florists, and even online catalogs sell Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) in tiny cups or flower vases to consumers who are often uneducated about proper betta care. Many people mistakenly believe that betta fish must be confined alone and that they can survive without being fed in a so-called complete ecosystem that consists of nothing more than a vase and a plant. As a result, fish are sentenced to dull, lonely lives and slow deaths by starvation. These tiny containers are not suitable for any fish. While betta males do not get along well with each other, they are able to live with other types of fish in a community aquarium.
Biologists say that there is no safe way to return captive fish to their natural environmentswhich are often located in a completely different region of the worldbecause of the difficulty in locating such a habitat and the possibility of introducing disease to the other fish there. Researchers have found many species of non-native fish, including predatory species, living off the coast of Florida, and they attribute these populations to careless aquarium owners.(16) These fish pose a real threat to native species. Never flush fish down the toilet in the hope of freeing them, as seen in the popular movie Finding Nemo. Even if a fish survived the shock of being put into the swirling fresh water, he or she would die a painful death in the plumbing system or at the water treatment plant.(17)
Bottom of page actually has tips for fishkeepers though.
If you already have fish, you can make their lives easier by providing them with an environment that is as much like their natural habitat as possible. While captive fish can never live natural lives, the following tips will help ensure that they are as happy as possible:
If you already have fish, you can make their lives easier by providing them with an environment that is as much like their natural habitat as possible. While captive fish can never live natural lives, the following tips will help ensure that they are as happy as possible:
