The pictures are shocking: in his documentary “Seaspiracy,” 27-year-old Briton Ali Tabrizi paints a bleak picture of the oceans. It shows slaughtered dolphins, sharks without fins, and whales suffocating on fishing nets – indirect victims of the fishing industry.
In summary, the director: «Stop hunting! And – only logically, do without the fish! “
The hour-and-a-half documentary caused particular contradictions on social media. However, everyone agrees that Tabrizi addresses an important topic. Because: unlike problems in the meat industry, hunting problems have rarely been discussed until now.
Even fish consumption increased
Many people who consciously avoid eating meat continue to eat fish. In Switzerland, fish consumption is low compared to meat consumption: in 2019, 47.8 kg of meat per person was consumed, compared to only 8.5 kg of fish.
But while meat consumption has decreased steadily over the past ten years, there is no downward trend in fish consumption. On the contrary: from 2019 to 2020, it increased by 0.3 kilograms.
Vegetarian fish alternatives are not widely used
Swissveg’s Simone Fuhrmann explains the various perspectives on meat and fish consumption with a lack of basic knowledge on the topic of fish. “There is also often a lack of empathy, as fish are less able to communicate than wild animals and differ, for example, from hearty calves.”
The consequences are reflected in the food on offer: While I’ve been able to buy beetroot and chicken nuggets made with tofu in stores for a long time, alternatives to vegan fish have not yet become popular.
Demand is increasing
Only specialist retailers like online store Lola vegan have been providing vegan fish for more than five years.
But that is currently changing. He added a cup of tuna substitute to his collection in 2020, and vegan fish sticks were added in March. Migros has also been offering vegetable mud since last year. And in Bern, a company recently started producing carrot-smoked salmon.
According to Lola, the demand for vegetarians has increased recently, perhaps also because vegan salmon is a Swiss product.
Documentary viewers should question consumption
In general, retailers are expecting the need for alternative offerings to increase in the next few years.
Movies like “Seaspiracy” help focus on plant-based fish. Swissveg hopes the documentary will encourage viewers to at least question their fish consumption.
Posted: 04/11/2021 10:38 am
Last update: April 11, 2021, 11:09 am
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