Want to celebrate World Ocean Day? Try out plant-based fish!

Plant-based fish can help reduce the pressures placed on the world’s seas

Are you looking for a meaningful way to celebrate World Ocean Day this Sunday (8 June)? Then why not try out plant-based fish!

Nearly 40% of global fish stocks are currently overfished and another 50% harvested to their limit by trawlers raking the oceans to meet the global demand for seafood. 

However, a growing number of plant-based fish products –  from fish sticks, burgers, filets, canned tuna, smoked salmon, shrimp, and calamari – are now on sale in supermarkets around the world and can be part of a sustainable and healthy diet. 

“The seas have been devastated by unrelenting trawler activity, draining the oceans of life and leaving plastic pollution in its place. Individuals can help stop, and eventually reverse, this devastation by occasionally replacing the fish on their dinner plate with a plant-based fish alternative,” Jasmijn de Boo, Global CEO of ProVeg International, said.

“Consumer decisions, like choosing plant-based fish, will accelerate the restoration of the diversity of species that was once found in abundance in the oceans,” de Boo added.

Whilst some people look to aquaculture or fish farming to reduce the pressure on the oceans, these industrial processes also raise major environmental and ethical concerns.

Aquafarms can harm local biodiversity, water quality, and animal welfare. They are linked to the destruction of critical coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs – all of which are vital for carbon storage, coastline protection, and biodiversity. Between 2000 and 2020, aquaculture was responsible for nearly 27% of global mangrove loss¹.

“Turning to another damaging industry like aquaculture to reduce the impact of the fishing industry makes little sense. Instead, increasing the consumption of plant-based fish can provide a tangible answer for consumers looking to address the huge challenge facing our seas,” de Boo added.

ENDS

Footnotes

1.  Leal, Maricé and Spalding, Mark D (editors) (2024): The State of the World’s Mangroves 2024. Global Mangrove Alliance. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5479/10088/119867

Notes to Editors

For media inquiries, email Peter Rixon at [email protected].

For scientific data about the benefits of plant-based eating, see our Food System Data website.

About ProVeg International

ProVeg International is a food awareness organisation with the mission to replace 50% of animal products globally with plant-based and cultivated foods by 2040. Our vision is a world where everyone chooses delicious and healthy food that is good for all humans, animals, and our planet.