Veterinarians Call on Georgia Aquarium to Replace Seafood Promotion with Truly Ocean-Friendly, Animal-Free Options
Please sign onto our letter urging the Georgia Aquarium to align with One Health principles.
Board of Directors
Georgia Aquarium
225 Baker Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30313
Dear Members of the Board,
As veterinarians working within the One Health framework, we deeply appreciate Georgia Aquarium’s role in inspiring care for aquatic life. Precisely because your institution is so trusted, we are concerned that signage encouraging visitors to “enjoy all the health benefits of seafood in a sustainable way” and describing fish and shellfish as “high-quality lean protein sources” omits crucial evidence about the ecological, health, and pandemic risks of industrial fishing and aquaculture—and about the proven, practical steps public institutions can take to help guests choose nutritious, animal-free meals by default. We respectfully urge Georgia Aquarium to update its menus and educational materials to lead on truly ocean-friendly, animal-free dining and to explain why this shift is essential to conserving the very species you steward.
Even when marketed as “sustainable,” wild-capture fishing and aquaculture impose substantial harms. Bottom trawling alone disturbs seabed carbon on a scale comparable to the emissions from global aviation, undermining climate and ocean health; this is not aligned with conservation messaging inside an aquarium. Independent evaluations further show that certification does not reliably eliminate ecological impacts such as bycatch and benthic damage; several MSC-certified fisheries still fall short of the program’s own sustainability criteria, and trawling and dredging can obliterate centuries-old seafloor communities.
Intensive aquaculture, often framed as the “solution,” externalizes different risks: antibiotic and pesticide discharge, nutrient pollution that fuels dead zones, disease amplification and spillover to wild populations, and a continued dependence on wild-caught fish for feed.
The FAO’s most recent global synthesis underscores that a large share of assessed fisheries are either overexploited or at their biological limits—conditions inconsistent with the Aquarium’s implication that consumers can “enjoy” seafood with minimal consequence simply by shopping guides.
The same One Health lens applies on land. Beef and dairy are leading drivers of greenhouse-gas emissions, land use, eutrophication, and air pollution across the food system; comprehensive meta-analysis shows that shifting diets yields far greater environmental benefits than production-side tweaks alone.
Red and processed meats also carry established human health risks; the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies processed meat as carcinogenic and red meat as probably carcinogenic, primarily for colorectal cancer. In the dairy sector specifically, large manure lagoons are major methane sources and degrade air and water quality; EPA and recent reviews document mitigation challenges inherent to these systems. Environmental Protection Agency+1 Eggs and poultry intensification contribute to ammonia, particulate, and greenhouse-gas emissions and are significant reservoirs for antimicrobial resistance—a central One Health concern that rebounds on human medicine. Given these burdens, continuing to normalize animal-based eating inside a conservation institution risks confusing visitors about what “sustainability” means in practice.
Georgia Aquarium can lead with solutions that are practical, inclusive, and evidence-based. Behavioral research shows that how cafeterias present food dramatically shifts choices—without restricting freedom. When institutions default more of their main dishes, animal-free selections rise sharply; in real-world university cafeterias, doubling animal-free availability increased animal-free sales by roughly 40–80%.
Describing dishes with appealing sensory language (“chef’s special,” “slow-roasted,” “hearty”) increases selection and consumption compared with health-or sustainability-centric labels. Menu placement and simple “social proof” messaging—making the animal-free option most visible and highlighting that “more and more guests are choosing our ocean-friendly entrée”—also increase uptake, sometimes doubling meatless orders. These choice-architecture approaches are precisely the kind of gentle, guest-friendly nudges museums and aquariums excel at using in their exhibits; applying them to food service is a natural extension of your mission.
The macro benefits of such a shift are no longer theoretical. A 2023 analysis in Nature Food found that moving away from animal-sourced foods could save up to $7.3 trillion in production-related health burdens and ecosystem degradation—benefits that standard nutrition evaluations miss because they typically ignore the harms created during production. Nature In parallel, global economic modeling estimates that transforming the food system toward healthier, more animal-free diets yields societal benefits on the order of $5–10 trillion per year by mid-century, far exceeding transition costs. Classic and contemporary work likewise shows that animal-free diets cut premature mortality and food-related emissions dramatically relative to business as usual.
Finally, our food choices influence pandemic risk—another reason an aquarium should educate toward animal-free eating. High-density animal production increases opportunities for viral emergence and spillover; reviews of the “infectious disease trap” in animal agriculture and new quantitative analyses link higher livestock density to greater outbreak risk in humans.
The ongoing global H5N1 panzootic illustrates these cross-species dynamics painfully well: after exploding in poultry and wild birds, H5N1 spread to marine mammals with mass die-offs of sea lions and documented mammal-to-mammal transmission, and it has now impacted Antarctica’s wildlife. For an institution dedicated to marine life, normalizing seafood consumption while H5N1 and other zoonoses are stressing marine ecosystems sends mixed signals.
We therefore ask Georgia Aquarium to do three things that align your dining and education with ocean conservation and One Health: first, make animal-free entrées the default, visibly feature them as “ocean-friendly chef’s specials,” and use dynamic-norm messaging to help guests feel part of a positive shift; second, ensure those meals are nutritionally robust and inclusive—featuring legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, algae-derived DHA/EPA, and clear allergen-friendly labeling; and third, refresh signage and talks to explain why reducing reliance on seafood, dairy, eggs, poultry, and beef is a direct act of marine conservation, climate mitigation, public-health protection, and pandemic prevention, pointing visitors to the research above.
Georgia Aquarium’s voice carries far beyond its walls. If you model ocean-friendly, animal-free dining and explain the One Health rationale, you will not only protect oceans—you will help your guests practice that protection at every meal.
These are potential messages you could display to replace your current signage that promotes fishing and aquaculture:
When we protect ocean life, we protect our own health. Overfishing and aquaculture pollution harm ecosystems that regulate our climate and provide oxygen. Choosing animal-free meals helps restore marine biodiversity and ocean resilience.
Industrial fishing kills trillions of fish and marine animals every year, including dolphins, turtles, and seabirds. Each animal-free meal helps protect these ecosystems — and still provides all the protein and omega-3s you need.
The health of humans, animals, and the environment are deeply connected. Supporting animal-free foods reduces pollution, pandemic risk, and the suffering of animals — all while improving our own wellbeing.
Omega-3 fatty acids don’t only come from fish — they come from algae! Algae oil, walnuts, chia, and flax provide the same nutrients without harming marine ecosystems.
Runoff from aquaculture and livestock facilities contributes to harmful algal blooms and antibiotic-resistant bacteria that reach our seafood and drinking water. Increasing access to high protein, whole foods animal-free options helps stop this cycle of pollution and disease.
If the world shifted to animal-free food production, we could save $7.3 trillion in health and ecosystem degradation — while preserving habitats for whales, sharks, and countless marine species.
We partner with Georgia growers to feature delicious animal-free options that nourish people and protect our planet. Every meal is a step toward a cleaner ocean and a healthier community.
Fish feel pain, form friendships, and help balance ocean ecosystems. By choosing animal-free seafood alternatives made from seaweed, chickpeas, or fungi, you help keep marine life where it belongs — in the sea.
Crowded animal facilities and aquaculture operations can spread viruses like avian influenza and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Supporting animal-free foods reduces these risks before they reach our communities.
With respect and shared purpose,
Crystal Heath, DVM
On behalf of concerned veterinarians for ocean and planetary health
Larrea Cottingham, 4th year veterinary student
Monica Ramirez, MVZ
Jena Questen DVM, CertAqV previous president of the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association
Melissa Kehl, DVM
Joanne Connolly, DVM
