Why do some vegetarians eat fish?

Question

do fish not count as animals

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Vegetarians do not eat fish.

Those people have a special name, its "confusing wannabees".

You'll find they upset all vegetarians with thier nonsense. Just look at all the thumbs down for the fishy answers above. Nonsense.

The dictionary has a definition, its "...someone who does not eat meat, fish, poultry or slaughter by-products". Its a clear definition which needs no caveats or modifications. Goodness knows why these people think they have the right to re-define the English language.

And your sub-question,: Yes, certainly fish are animals.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

thats what i thought, it annoys me that people eat fish & call themselves vegetarians i think they think its trendy

Answer 2

Usually vegetarians are non-meat eaters therefore they can eat fish. You might be thinking of Vegans, they don't eat any animal products so obviously don't eat fish either.

Answer 3

because fish are caught wild or live in the sea, there are not as many ethical issues about the lives they lead in captivity that cause a lot of vegetarians to avoid other meat products.
personally, i think fish are animals. I am not a vegetarian though.

Answer 4

well in india particularly West Bengal they call fish as the flowers of the sea so they consider that as a vegetarian dish.

Answer 5

Strictly speaking, people who are vegetarians do not eat animals, including fish, but I have known many people who liked the idea of calling themselves "vegetarians" who ate both fish and chicken. Their reasoning was that they didn't eat "red" meat. As far as I am concerned, either you are a vegetarian (no red meat, poultry, fish, or any other animal), or you are not. But people can call themselves whatever they want, of course, in spite of their actual eating behavior!

Answer 6

I've often wondered too! Europeans often classify fish under vegetarian. Will be interested to see the answers!

Answer 7

Well I'm sorry garfish but I am with helen b, what exactly makes a fish non meat? It has flesh and was a living animal so how can eating it be vegetarian? In my book a vegetarian eats no meat, if they eat fish they are not veggie, end of!

Answer 8

Well I'm a vegetarian and i occasionally eat fish.

My reason for becoming vegetarian was that i am unhappy about the horrible conditions animals are kept in and how they are treated.

Fish usually live in the sea and therefore don't not suffer all their lives in harsh conditions. Also animals that are kept for eating have the element of fear as they are going to be killed which fish do not experience.

Answer 9

Most vegetarians are usually people who don't like to eat fating foods and fish has no fat at all, and a fish is a fish not an animal (cat,dog, etc)

Answer 10

It is a question of choice: some vegetarians (called heterodox vegetarians, he, he), consider that fish is not as toxic as red meats. Generally, fish is considered by vegetarians and non vegetarians as safer than other meats. But be careful with mercury.

Answer 11

If someone eats fish, they are not vegetarian. They may have a largely vegetarian diet, but someone who eats fish would be classed as a carnivore, I would've thought.

Answer 12

because for some reason they think sticking a hook in the mouth of a fish and pulling it out of the water so it can no longer breathe is ok!!!
something wrong with that picture......

Answer 13

yes they are and i don't know why although Ive been a veggie for over 25 years and eat fish now and again, i had cancer and thort i need the vitamins, but originally i was told that fish didn't feel pain! if its an old wives tale i don't know, it probably made veggies feel less guilty about eating fish???

Answer 14

They don't.

Answer 15

i would come into this category.
If you eat only healthy food, vegatbles and fish are a very healthy diet.
So if you are a vegetarian for only health reasons then you would not mind eating fish as well.
and I do not mind eating meat as a flavouring/ seasoning as well!

Answer 16

Chicken, beef etc are counted as flesh. Fish is not, it is the same reason christians eat fish on good friday when they cannot eat meat.

Answer 17

how can they be vegetarians when they eat fish.......practising and preaching are two different things

Answer 18

well actually, if I may comment. First there are lots of ethical problems regarding the eating of fish. farm raised fish pollute water thru their feed and their excrement and are now the source of fish lice on ocean salmon coming to spawn, thus killing them off. Plus farmed fish are fatter and loaded with toxic levels of impurities. It is said, now, not to eat farmed salmon more than once a month. Ocean Salmon are dwindling as are most sea life caught for human consumption. Cod for the Uk being severely over fished. Huge tracks of our ocean's ecosystems are in danger and some have been wiped out. Second, there is a lot of fat in fatty fish such as Salmon, etc. It is a good source of essential Omega 3, but not an ethical one. Better to get it from flax seed oil. Where do you think Cod liver oil comes from? Fish DO have fat. And lastly why not call yourself a fishetarian instead of a vegetarian if you have not yet given up fish? A vegetarian does not eat creatures that must be killed in order to consume them. Many people use fish eating as a step along the way to total vegetarianism. Everyone must draw their own line.

Answer 19

BECAUSE FISH is their source of PROTEIN

Answer 20

Fish count as animals but they don't pose the same health risks as land based animals. When choosing a vegetarian lifestyle for health purposes rather than ethical reasons, fish can be a good source of protein. Until they come up with a good term for people who don't eat any warm blooded animals - then we stick with vegetarian. Otherwise friends and relatives will continually think its okay to give us chicken broth or slip some bacon fat into a recipe because we are not really vegetarians (and true we are not really - but we DO mean it when we say we don't eat traditional land based meat).

Answer 21

I do not eat red meat, pork or chicken but do not classify myself as vegetarian. My body has difficulty digesting the above simply because of the growth hormones and everything else injected into chicken, beef and pork. I do not have difficulty eating fish because it isn't as high on the food chain and not as difficult for me to consume. I believe if you are a vegetarian due to ethical reasons of your own, then that includes not only the not eating of meat but not wearing the leather shoes and coats, etc.

Answer 22

im a veggie and i eat fish but people are veggies for different reasons the only reason why for me is that i dont digest meat very well

Answer 23

They are not vegetarians as fish are living creatures. Fishing and fish farming can be more cruel than slaughterhouses

Source(s):

Researched fishing and fish farming for coursework

Answer 24

As Linda McCartney said "if it has a face we don't eat it".

Answer 25

they are misinformed..or don't want to give them up but still want the label of vegetarian/vegan. i think they should just lose the fish and get the rightful name