To be fair, I do consider this hobby somewhat cruel to the fish.
For the best cared for fish-
They were probably shipped to the store/new owner (stressful)
How many other fish died in transport (ratio of live fish/all shipped)
Most fish probably do not have anywhere near the size of container that they would like/prefer
Most don't have the ideal water characteristics that they should have in the wild
Some never get the opportunity to try to mate (something I'd regret!)
For the less than well cared for fish-
How many die agonizing deaths (due to lack of knowledge or care) [my earlier ignorance of the nitrogen cycle still embarrasses me]
I've seen quite a few dead fish in most fish stores.
Nature is pretty cruel (there are some pretty awful ways for animals to die in the wild), and captive fish should have a relatively low stress life (compared to wild). But I think our hobby should try to minimize animal suffering.
And I'm pretty hypocritical:
I've ordered fish online (and 1 shipment died due to the delivery company not actually delivering overnight)
I do feed my fish some live foods (the live foods probably find it pretty stressful).
I eat meat even though I have concerns about large-scale animal production (feed lots)
etc, etc
Most of us probably agree that there is a certain "standard level of care" (possibly including a humane death) that all animals should get. We probably disagree greatly on where we'd draw the line for that "standard level of care" for various species.
Intentionally dropping fish in bleach - well below the standard of care
Overstocking - below standard of care for some, normal practice for many
I do find it cruel that bettas are kept in very small containers. I also find it cruel that some large fish have almost no stimulation (swim around in a big tank, no tank mates, etc- of course, they'd eat their tank mates, but that is stimulation). Zoos are somewhat cruel (but educational and entertaining). But in the big picture, I'll worry about other problems because I think there are bigger fish to fry (cruel to the fried fish, of course
).
So I think our hobby might benefit from some scrutiny, but I agree that some animal welfare groups would go well beyond what I think would be good. Like many areas of life, a few obvious bad apples can ruin it for others. The extremely poor treatment of some fish, by some LFSs/people, could result in more interference that I want.
.
After that rambling sermon, I"ll get off my soapbox.
