The Fishy Logic of Pescatarians

Pescatarians like to think they’re making a moral choice. No land animals, just fishes - because somehow, that’s different. The justification? A mix of psychological distance, personal convenience, and the classic “lesser evil” excuse. But when it comes down to it, eating fishes is just another rationalisation, a way to sidestep the uncomfortable truth that fishes feel, think, and recognise individual humans.  

The Meat Paradox Swims On

Most people who eat animal flesh tell themselves it’s natural, normal, necessary, and nice - even when they claim to oppose harming animals. This contradiction is called the meat paradox. It’s been widely studied in land-animal consumption, but what about pescatarians? They’ve made a conscious choice to avoid cows, chickens, and pigs. So how do they justify stabbing, suffocating, and gutting a fish?

A study in the UK set out to find out. Researchers interviewed pescatarians about their diet, their thoughts on land versus sea animals, and their understanding of fishing. What emerged were three main ways pescatarians create enough psychological distance to keep eating fishes:

1. A Fishy Identity – Pescatarians see themselves as morally aligned with vegetarians and vegans. One participant said, “I’m just a vegetarian who occasionally eats fish.” That’s like saying, “I’m just a pacifist who occasionally punches people.”

2. The Lesser Evil Excuse – Some see fish consumption as a compromise, either for social reasons or personal convenience. One admitted, “Some friends feel very strongly about meat, so this was a compromise.” In other words: peer pressure.

3. How to Become Invisible – Fishes don’t have the “right” kind of face, don’t live in our world, and don’t scream in a way we understand. One participant explained, “The faces and eyes that certain terrestrial animals make… I just feel more connection because they are more similar to us.” Because fishes aren’t relatable, they’re easier to ignore.  

Distance Makes Justification Easier

The researchers linked these rationalisations to Construal-Level Theory of Psychological Distance (CLTPD) - which basically means the further something is from you (physically, socially, or emotionally), the easier it is to dismiss. Fishes are literally out of sight, out of mind. They live in the water, they don’t make the same noises as land animals, and people don’t spend time around them unless they’re on a plate.

The study had limitations - participants knew the lead researcher was vegan, which might have influenced their responses. Also, crustaceans didn’t get as much attention as other marine animals. But the overall findings were clear: pescatarians use physical distance, perceived dissimilarity, and lack of visibility to reconcile eating fishes with their supposed ethical stance.

The Problem with the “Lesser Evil” Argument

Pescatarians often frame eating fishes as a compromise. But let’s be clear: there’s no ethical “middle ground” in exploitation. The fishing industry is an environmental catastrophe, bottom trawling destroys ocean habitats, and more individual fishes are killed every year than all land animals combined.

Not to mention, fishes aren’t the mindless creatures humans assume.  

Fishes Know Who You Are

New research has found that wild fishes can tell humans apart by their clothing. The saddled sea bream and black sea bream - both species with acute colour vision - could distinguish between divers wearing different gear. This isn’t an isolated discovery.

Other research shows:

- Fishes recognise themselves in reflections, displaying self-awareness.  

- The bluestreak cleaner wrasse checks their size in a mirror before deciding whether to fight another fish.  

- Octopuses and fishes team up to hunt, showing cross-species cooperation.  

For animals that humans claim to be too simple to matter, fishes are proving they have intelligence, memory, social skills, and can suffer - traits that should make us question our actions. Let's also not forget that our ancestors were fish, and that our cousins didn't stop evolving, they just didn't grow legs and lungs - they have their own equally valid path.

Bringing Fishes Into Focus

The good news? There are ways to challenge the psychological distance that keeps pescatarians from seeing fishes as individuals.

- Highlight their intelligence. Show people that fishes think, feel, and recognise humans.

- Make them visible. Underwater footage makes fishes harder to ignore.  

- Challenge the “compromise” narrative. Eating fishes isn’t a step toward anything ethical - it’s still using animals.  

- Redefine pescatarians. They’re not vegetarians who eat fishes. They’re people who eat animals.  

As researcher Maëlan Tomasek told The Guardian: “It’s very human to not want to care about them, but the fact that they can care about us, maybe it’s time that we can care about them, too.”