The Mediterranean was once a thriving ecosystem teeming with marine life, but it is now severely threatened due to industrial fishing, fish farming and environmental reasons. Every year, billions of aquatic animals—fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods—are caught and killed, often under horrific conditions. These sentient beings suffer immense cruelty, yet their plight remains largely invisible to the public. Ending fishing and fish farming in the Mediterranean is not just an environmental necessity but a moral imperative and a step toward a more sustainable and just world.
The Hidden Suffering of Aquatic Animals
One of the foremost reasons to stop fishing and fish farming is the immense suffering of aquatic animals. Unlike land animals, many people do not understand that fish and other marine creatures can feel pain despite overwhelming scientific evidence proving otherwise. Furthermore, even the basic welfare conditions offered to land-based animals are not given to fish. They are suffocated, crushed, bled to death, and eviscerated while still conscious. Many deep-sea fishes experience agonising decompression injuries when pulled from the depths, causing their organs to rupture. The methods used to kill them are brutal, and yet, because these animals do not make audible cries or facial expressions like mammals, their suffering is often dismissed.
Often presented as a more sustainable alternative, fish farms are no better. These facilities confine thousands of fish in overcrowded, filthy conditions, leading to high levels of stress, disease, and parasite infestations. Many farmed fish die prematurely, while others suffer from painful deformities and injuries.
Malta’s fish farming industry is based around tuna. What many are not aware of is that the tuna in fish farms is stolen from the wild. Tuna farming, particularly in the Mediterranean, is not the same as conventional fish farming, where fish are bred and raised from eggs in captivity. Instead, the industry relies on “ranching”, which involves stealing juvenile and adult tuna from the wild. The tuna is then forced to live in the various cages around Malta. The slime that many express disgust when it arrives on our shores is the slime that the animals are forced to live in.
Environmental Destruction
The fishing industry is not only cruel but also an ecological disaster. Overfishing has driven numerous marine species to extinction, disrupting entire ecosystems. Industrial fishing techniques, such as bottom trawling, destroy delicate marine habitats, including coral reefs and seagrass meadows, essential for biodiversity and carbon storage.
Furthermore, the fishing industry is one of the main contributors to plastic waste at sea. Ghost nets litter even the Maltese coast. Apart from being a pollution, ghost nets are an underwater death trap. Ghost nets would not exist if fishing did not take place.
Another major environmental issue is bycatch. As part of the fishing process, a number of “unintended” animals are captured as well. These includes species such as dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, and seabirds, which often become entangled in fishing nets and subsequently die. Bycatch has been seen as a major contributor to the decline of species already at risk of extinction.
There also is the use of Octopus pots in the Mediterranean. Although illegal, the Italian region of Tuscany is infamous for these as stated by Sea Shepherd.
Fish farming also wreaks havoc on the environment. Massive amounts of waste, antibiotics, and chemicals from fish farms pollute the surrounding waters. Slime and the effect of fish farms are well known and documented in Malta.
The Myth of Sustainable Fishing
There are some who try to argue that that fishing can be sustainable. Sustainable fishing is just another myth. Regulations are difficult to enforce, and illegal fishing is widespread in the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean sea is governed by EU law in part Even fisheries that are labeled as “certified sustainable” contribute to the suffering and decline of marine populations. Whilst the demand for seafood continues to rise, so does the pressure on these resources, making true sustainability nearly impossible. Sustainable fishing is a lie propagated by governments (including ours and the EU) and lobbies to justify fishing while the rampant abuse continues.
A Just Transition Away from Fishing
While ending fishing and fish farming is necessary, this cannot happen without supporting those whose livelihoods depend on the industry. Many coastal communities in the Mediterranean rely on fishing for income, and a just transition is needed to help them shift to alternative livelihoods. Investment in eco-tourism, seaweed farming, marine conservation projects, and plant-based industries can provide sustainable economic opportunities without harming aquatic life.
Governments and organisations must offer retraining programs, financial incentives, and infrastructure support to help fishers transition to new industries. Rather than sustaintaining the status quo through EU subsidies, and at the same time supporting an industry based on cruelty and environmental destruction, we can create innovative food industries that respects both human and non-human lives.
A Matter of Justice
At its core, the demand to end fishing and fish farming is a matter of justice. Even those who do not follow a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle agree that food should not come as a result of unnecessary suffering and death on animals. Given the immense harm caused to fish and other aquatic animals, as well as the environmental devastation linked to the industry, there is no justification for continuing this exploitation.
Fish and other marine animals have the right to live free from harm, just as land animals do. The next step in our moral evolution is recognising their fundamental rights—the right to life, freedom, and physical integrity. Ending fishing and fish farming is not an extreme position; it is a rational and compassionate choice for the future of our planet and all who inhabit it.
Conclusion
The Mediterranean Sea has been a cradle of Western civilisation and also life for millennia, but human exploitation has pushed it to collapse. Stopping fishing and fish farming is not just about saving marine species—it is about protecting entire ecosystems, ensuring biodiversity, and embracing a more ethical way of life. The act of choosing plant-based alternatives rather than eating fish, can in itself help restore the Mediterranean and create a future where all beings—human and non-human—can thrive.
The time to act is now. The future of the Mediterranean, its marine life, and our shared planet depends on it. Join us in celebrating the World Day for the End of Fishing and Fish Farming on March 29th.
VeggyMalta and Vuci ghall-Annimali have joined the WoDEF in 2025.
