Fish are friends, not food!

[Princess Kae-Leah]

What are y'all's thoughts on seafood, and do you think of Mers as carnivores or herbivores? I've been on a strict seafood-free diet for several years know, and you know what, eating this way makes me feel more like a mermaid, because in Disney's The Little Mermaid it was implied that merfolk are vegetarians who look down on humans for being "fish-eaters", and why wouldn't they be when most sea creatures were just as sentient as they were? ;) Yes, I know, many fish DO indeed eat other fish in real life, but since I grew up with TLM, I always thought of mers as primarily herbivores who lived off of seaweed, other sea vegetables, and perhaps stuff like plankton which are technically animals but far from truly sentient. I'm not a vegetarian myself(love me some chicken hehe!), but I nonetheless love the idea of a race of peaceful, harmonious people so intuned with their fellow creatures that to eat them would feel like cannibalism. Anyone agree with me? Of course, I'd love to hear opposing viewpoints too!

[malinghi]

I don't think of the Little Mermaid as the most definitive source of mermaid myths. Fish eat fish. Humans eat fish. Why wouldn't mermaids?

BTW, not to bash the Little Mermaid, but on the subject of the relationship between all the sea creatures, it bugs me that all the fish and birds and crabs could talk, but dolphins and whales couldn't. There's something about that that seems really f'ed up.

[Taylor is a Mermaid]

Kae-leah you know I like to think of mermaids as fish-eating omnivores. I'm actually trying to incorporate MORE fish into my diet because it's so healthy and I think what fish go through before they get on our plates is a lot better than what cows, pigs, chickens, etc. go through. The animal I try not to eat is pigs, because they are very intelligent (moreso than cats and dogs) and the conditions pigs in the meat industry go through are atrocious. I wish I could be a full vegetarian or maybe just a pescatarian, actually. Not because I think eating meat is wrong, but because I think the way the American meat industry treats live animals is despicable. Unfortunately I just do not have the willpower to be a vegetarian, though I do my best to buy cage-free eggs and other products from animals that hopefully had a better life.

I like to think of mermaids as part of the ecosystem in which they live, so the eat fish but also are possibly in danger from some sharks, jellyfish, and other dangerous animals in the ocean. There's something beautiful to me about the struggle to survive and the balance of the eat-or-be-eaten way that nature works, even though it's gruesome.

[Princess Kae-Leah]

@ Malinghi, yeah, I know, it's not the most "definitive" source of mer-myths, but it's what I grew up with, so therefore it's what I think of, if that makes any sense. ;) OMG, I never thought of that before about dolphins and whales not talking, but I guess you're right! I haven't watched the animated series in years, not sure if there's any more anthropomorphic dolphins there.

@Taylor, your way of thinking makes perfect sense if you think of mers as just like any other sea creature. I personally prefer to think of mythical creatures as magical beings that are separate from the laws of nature and science. That's the great thing about fantasy, there are so many different interpretations, and nobody's really "right or wrong", since it's all just that, fantasy and speculation.

So far it looks like I'm the only here who believes fish are friends, not food, for mers! Hopefully I'm not the only one ;)

[Moonflower]

In my way of thinking, Mers would have to be apex predators, which means eating fish. I also don't see them as fish (in the sense that sharks are fish) but mammals, which is why I don't get the 'scales' thing (mammals don't have scales). If Mers can breed with humans, then they would have to be mammals, right?

I also agree that it made NO sense that only SOME animals could talk in TLM series. Giant squids could, but not orcas? And dolphins were used to pull chariots? WHAT?

But back to the fish thing, yes I think they would eat fish. Fish and certain kinds of seaweed and crustaceans. They are some of the best sources of protein and nutrients on the planet, it would only make sense.

[Princess Kae-Leah]

@ FlowerBite, that's why in my series, ALL sea animals can talk! ;) At least, they can within the "Enchanted Zones", essentially a parallel universe that is invisble to humans. Spoiler alert: in the third volume in the series, two of the sheltered magical creatures are as revenge sent to the Unenchanted Zones, or the parts of the ocean where the food chain is in full swim. Let's just say, it could not have ended well! You're gonna love that part, Taylor!

[Mermaid Star]

I see Mers as part fish, so in my mind, I feel that it would be a little wrong for mermaids and mermen to eat fish. I think it is the Disney in me that feels that they are friends with all of the sea creatures in the ocean. So I agree with you Kae-Leah. In my mind, mermaids are vegetarians.

[Princess Kae-Leah]

@ Star, yay, I'm not the only weird one! :D I don't really care either way what somebody does or doesn't eat in real life, by the way, but mers eating fish just seems like cannibalism to me, as a Disney person. I have a hard time picturing a mermaid killing for food.

As for as fish being good for you, yes it's usually lowers in cals and cholesterol than other animal proteins, and I suppose, like Taylor said, fishing can seem more humane than those nasty, environmentally damaging factory farms for cows, pigs, and chickens, especially since studies have shown most sea creatures not to be as intelligent as, say, pigs, dogs, or cats.

[Dr. SeaWeed]

I don't think of the Little Mermaid as the most definitive source of mermaid myths. Fish eat fish. Humans eat fish. Why wouldn't mermaids?


100% agree with malinghi here..... as for the thought that mermaids eating fish is cannibalism, I dont see that either.. that would be a mermaid eating another mermaid.

[AniaR]

I like Carolyn Turgeon`s take on mermaids, but I have to agree I think they`d be omnivores. I mean you have crabs who eat smaller crabs, fish who eat fish, sharks who eat sharks! I personally dont eat any seafood but mostly because I just dont like it haha

[Spindrift]

I don't think of the Little Mermaid as the most definitive source of mermaid myths. Fish eat fish. Humans eat fish. Why wouldn't mermaids?

BTW, not to bash the Little Mermaid, but on the subject of the relationship between all the sea creatures, it bugs me that all the fish and birds and crabs could talk, but dolphins and whales couldn't. There's something about that that seems really f'ed up.

My take on the Little Mermaid dolphins/whales not being able to talk is because it would be somewhat "barbaric" to have "intelligent" creatures used as common carthorses (King Triton's chariot) and as taxis. Disney loves flipping the stereotype (since usually, dolphins and whales are considered extremely intelligent) and it's something that they have in a lot of their productions.

I personally don't like seafood, unless it's shrimp or some kinds of fish. Oysters, squid, jellyfish, etc, won't do it. I would think that some mers would eat fish though. Although you can also argue that since they are so diverse, their diets would be as well. There shouldn't be a "fits all" scheme. I mean in some stories they even eat humans.

[Princess Kae-Leah]

@Raina, are Carolyn Turgeon's mers vegetarian or not? I probably won't ever read that book, as I heard it has plenty of sex in it, and as an ace, I try my best to avoid books with that stuff in it. And you're totally right about fish eating other fish! I guess you'll just have to respect my opinion here, I'm 100% convinced that mers are vegetarian in my imagination.

@Spindrift, I thought someone would bring that up about them eating humans in some stories!

[AniaR]

Kae-Leah I hope you wont leave the forum over this, it`s all hypothetical remember.

[Aniganatis]

Mermaids eat meat. Read your merhistory and stop watching tv. Seriously.

[Princess Kae-Leah]

OK guys, I really hope my announcement in the chatroom didn't cause too much drama! Let me see if I can clarify my position without sounding like a raving lunatic. The thing is, I have Asperger's Syndrome and my social skills aren't even close to perfect. I can be extremely touchy sometimes, and although I try to respect others' opinions, it's very hard for me sometimes, to be honest. Us Aspies can be very obsessive about things at times, and one of my "obsessions" is the FictionPress novella series that I mentioned in my sig line, as I'm extremely proud that I created something that I love and has been read for literally thousands of people from every corner of the globe. In it, I depict merfolk as a race of peaceful, non-violent, gentle creatures who are friends with every creature in the sea, and to be honest, it's been shocking to me that that isn't most other peoples' hypothetical speculation, as from the time I was a kid, it was always a no-brainer that mers wouldn't eat other fish, no offense to anybody. I'm a Disney girl through and through, and Disney's always optimistic and wholesome version of fantasy is the ideal for me.

I'd like to give a shout out to Raina, Merman Jesse, Mermaid Jewel, Lanai, Taylor and others to thank them for their concern and their honest opinions worded civilly. *Mer-hug*

[New York Mermaid]

*hugz* to you as well :) your apart of a wonderful Mer-family and it would suck to loose you. Im aware of your AS and I understand that. I dont see your "lack of social skills" as a disability or a syndrome, to me your a normal person who is Unique and that makes you special.

[Princess Kae-Leah]

Looks like you haven't seen the last of me yet, dahlings! ;)

[merboy78xy]

I must agree that I believe they would be omnivorous...
Legends originally seemed to lean towards them being voracious, maybe luring sailors to their deaths to eat them? Not to mention most larger sea creatures eat some form of meat... even baleen whales eat krill (small shrimp). On the OTHER hand... look at manatees. Over 12 feet long and a ton or two heavy... only vegetarian, and completely harmless (not to mention kinky little bastards... VERY active sex lives!).
So who can say, I see both sides of the argument. But I'd bet omnivorous.

On another note...FLOWER BITE...I always thought of Merfolk as mammals as well, but I still think that scales and fins are possible... Take into consideration the Pangolin. A strange mammal with scale-like plates covering its body in a sharp armour. The scales are made up of Chiton, which is what our hair and nails are made up of (and even some horns, like a rhino's is made up of tightly pressed hairs!), so I see a mermaid's scales like small fingernail-like plates that cover their nether-regions. Maybe for protection, for warmth? But I also like the idea that as varied as fish are... so too would merfolk be. Some smooth skinned like a dolphin, some scaled...

[merboy78xy]

here's a pangolin:

http://www.vulkaner.no/n/africa/pangolin.html

[Princess Kae-Leah]

@merboy78xy, I could accept them being technically omnivorous, but only eating things like krill and plankton, and befriending all other sea creatures. Plankton is technically a living creature, but Disney has the mers eat it in the TLM animated TV series, even though they're usually vegan otherwise.

[merboy78xy]

by the way... I used to work for disney :)

[Dr. SeaWeed]

Sorry but with all this talk of The Little Mermaid I cant resist but Post what TLM really teaches us....Advice for Girls from The Little Mermaid-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8xCgC3w1zs lol

[Princess Kae-Leah]

I personally don't mind too much the view that some mers would be carnivores, others vegan that some of you expressed. It's basically just the view that all mers are vicious predators that I strongly disagree with. Heck, in my series I have evil Sea Sirens who for all we know might eat their sea kin for the evulz.

[AniaR]

No need to be rude Aniganatis since this is ALL HYPOTHETICAL anyway

[Princess Kae-Leah]

@Raina, yep, not to point fingers as I think it was probably meant as a joke, but,that was the post that I think "set me off" the most. Your post and some others were perfectly civil, but what is or isn't "merhistory" is in the eye of the beholder.

[AniaR]

Andrew that is hilarious <3

[Dr. SeaWeed]

she is pretty funny ^_^ she does a lot of the disney princess'. Snow white- " Its important to be the fairest.. if you go outside and start to get some sun, Stop it!" lol anyways offtopic *swims away*

[Moonflower]

Okay, so I'm apparently the bitch here, and for that I apologize. However, I stand by what I said. I'm an aspie as well, but I don't let it rule my life, as well as the rest of my diagnosed neuroses. I understand that people have different opinions, I was just voicing my own and don't expect everyone or anyone to agree with me.

[MermaidSaku]

Well to me when i think of a mermaid diet i do think mermaids eat fish. Remember they are half human, half fish.Honestly if your thinking in realistically Disneys little mermaid was a shame. It's true dolphins and whales couldn't talk but all other small fish could, but that isn't what angers me. I believe the real story of little mermaid written by Hans Christian Anderson was written to teach a lesson about the harsh reality of life and love. Then Disney makes a new version and lies to kids about them both. Lol it's sick.
I am pretty sure mermaids/mermen might have eaten some fish like flounder or tuna, but also would have had green foods like kelp and seaweed. Why? Well to me seaweed is great and tastes like spinach but, if you eat spinach everyday for billion trillions of years you might actually die of constipation.It would lock up your digestive system and you won't be able to use a restroom if you know what i mean. If you think of a mermaid who is both Fish and human no matter how you look at it eating just kelp and seaweed would not bee a very good think they would need more of a variety than just that. And like others have said before me. Fish eat fish, even sharks eat other sea creatures and so do whales.
Also like there are different types of fish in the sea i feel like mermaids are the same. Seeing as though they are half human. Humans also like to eat different things and have the power of choice i think mermaids are also the same when it comes to this.

[AniaR]

You guys are ALL wrong. Mermaids live completley on ice cream. :\


.... <3 ;)

[New York Mermaid]

@AniaR Hahaha They live on Ben & Jerry's Phish Food - well ether that or Swedish Fish

[Princess Kae-Leah]

@Raina...now THAT I can totally support! I love me some ice cream so much! Seriously, if I knew nothing about nutrition, I could live off of ice cream and pizza. My favorite ice cream flavors are chocolate chip cookie dough and cotton candy.

[Taylor is a Mermaid]

I've got to say I love that series on advice for little girls. I love the Disney movies more than most, but I still cringe at how anti-feminist they are (the older ones are the worst) and love to see someone pointing that out in a humorous way.

[Princess Kae-Leah]

@Taylor, yeah some of the early Disney films are pretty sexist, I gotta admit, much as I love Disney. As much as TLM is criticized by feminists, and I can totally see some of the points(Ariel giving up everything for a guy she barely knew, etc.), I still think it's a big improvement over the early "Princess" films. I mean, Ariel goes put herself in danger to save someone's life, and talk back to her father, those are things that Snow White would never do.

[Mermaid Star]

Aniganatis, (http://mernetwork.com/index/member.php?109-Aniganatis) I don't mean to sound mean but please remember that this is opinion only. You may have come off a little strong by saying "Read your merhistory and stop watching tv. Seriously." This is just a fun topic for us to discuss our thoughts and what we see in our imaginations. Since Mermaids are mythological, that is all we have and there is no definitive answer. Great topic Princess!

[Mermaid Star]

Hahaha!!! I love you Raina!

[Mermaid Star]

And oops! I hadn't realized that there were 3 pages and not just one before responding, so my bad. I see Raina already covered what I had to say. Sorry for stepping on your fins raina. <3 s

[Taylor is a Mermaid]

@Taylor, yeah some of the early Disney films are pretty sexist, I gotta admit, much as I love Disney. As much as TLM is criticized by feminists, and I can totally see some of the points(Ariel giving up everything for a guy she barely knew, etc.), I still think it's a big improvement over the early "Princess" films. I mean, Ariel goes put herself in danger to save someone's life, and talk back to her father, those are things that Snow White would never do.
Absolutely. Ariel is strong enough to stand on her own and does most of the action, but she is also literally silenced in the movie and, for understandable reasons, the movie eliminates the primary reason the mermaid wanted to become human in Andersen's version, which is much less shallow: she wants a soul.

[Princess Kae-Leah]

As a kid I always preferred the Disney vision, and overall I think to do because well it's Disney and I'm a sucker for a happy ending, but as an adult I've come to appreciate the greater depth of the original Anderson tale, and even incorporated some elements of it into my series, like the whole becoming seafoam when they die thing, which I think is cool and much less gruesome than how in real life we are left with these rotting bodies when we die.

[BengalTiger]

I think mermaids would be omnivores...
they would get a fish then eat sea weed and other sea plants with it.... haha.
I don't really know considering I have never seen The Little Mermaid.. :(

[HBMermaid_Angela]

I choose not to eat Fish (or anything from the sea). When I was a little girl I told my mom I never would because what would the dolphins eat? Also, it's sad to see how wasteful most fishing actually is. There are certain parts of the world where tuna is an endangered species!

Mermaids I understand would eat fish..but this mermaid has her prince to spoil her with "land" food!

[MermaidMeiko]

I don't like fish at all >_< not as food, at least. They're just so cute! T_T Plus.... I never liked food from the ocean. Except canned tuna.... It's probably not even tuna.... I dunno, I never really liked seafood.... NO ME GUSTAN LOS MARISCOS!

[Princess Kae-Leah]

I love fish so much I don't want to eat 'em! I think canned tuna is ugly and smells terrible, don't understand why so many people like it. I think if mers absolutely had to be omnivores, they'd go for things like krill, prawns, clams, oysters, etc., stuff that's near the bottom of the food chain and aren't generally thought to be the most intelligent. I think the choice a writer makes for their mers to be vegan or omni/carnivore has to do with whether or not sea creatures can talk and are sentient/intelligent. In my series, creatures have a strong relationship with mers and are just as sentient as they were, but in H2O they can't talk to fish so they tend to see them more as food.

[Princess Kae-Leah]

I keep getting told that "fish eat other fish, so naturally so would mers" so I've done some research and found it very interesting that I discovered that while MANY sea creatures do indeed eat other sea creatures, there are plenty of herbivorous fish too, so, yes, it would make perfect sense that some mers would eat fish/seafood and some wouldn't, perhaps it depends on what kind of fish their bottom half is ;). Here's a list I compiled of herbivorous fish, marine mammals, and other sea creatures, thanks to some Google research:
*Green Sea Turtle
*Manatee
*Dugong
*Parrot Fish
*Tang
*Surgeonfish
*Blenny
*Foxface
*Unicornfish
*Angelfish
*Tilapia
*Periwinkle
*Moorish Idol
*Large Butterflyfish
*Mussels, or at least some kinds of them

Note: I don't pretend to be anything close to a marine biologist so this list may not be 100% accurate, so if any of you see any errors, please feel fee to correct to me! ;)
*Carp
*Some kinds of shrimp

[Dr. SeaWeed]

I keep getting told that "fish eat other fish, so naturally so would mers" so I've done some research and found it very interesting that I discovered that while MANY sea creatures do indeed eat other sea creatures, there are plenty of herbivorous fish too, so, yes, it would make perfect sense that some mers would eat fish/seafood and some wouldn't, perhaps it depends on what kind of fish their bottom half is ;). Here's a list I compiled of herbivorous fish, marine mammals, and other sea creatures, thanks to some Google research:
*Green Sea Turtle
*Manatee
*Dugong
*Parrot Fish
*Tang
*Surgeonfish
*Blenny
*Foxface
*Unicornfish
*Angelfish
*Tilapia
*Periwinkle
*Moorish Idol
*Large Butterflyfish
*Mussels, or at least some kinds of them

Note: I don't pretend to be anything close to a marine biologist so this list may not be 100% accurate, so if any of you see any errors, please feel fee to correct to me! ;)
*Carp
*Some kinds of shrimp angelfish are definitely not strictly vegetarians. heck even the small freshwater ones you stick in your aquarium will eat your smaller fish(atleast in my experience). a quick search on some of the others also says that while some of the fish you listed, like the parrotfish for example have a primarily vegetarian diet, they do also eat other marine organisms.

[Kanti]

Lots of fish and marine mammals are grazers, but less fish are strict grazers and have an omnivorous diet.
It just depends what side of the spectrum you're looking through when it comes to mermaids.
When an animal as large as a dugong or a manatee is a pure vegetarian, it's pretty easy to imagine
that a mermaid could be a vegetarian, especiallysince a human and a dugong are both mammals.
If you think of the fish side of the mermaid along with many other fish species, you have to lean
toward them being at LEAST omnivorous.

Parrot fish, angelfish, surgeonfish, tangs, and many of the smaller reef fish, as well as mussels are omnivores.
Parrotfish are known for "eating" the algae off coral, but they also eat smaller crustaceans (not to mention coral
is a living thing as well, you can't throw that out).
Moorish Idols are actually far from vegetarians. Some people believe this because the animals they eat are sessile
(don't move) such as sponges and corals, but they are in fact, alive. Though, in captivity and often in aquariums,
people have fed them fruits with great success.
Many of the reef fish are the same way. They will often graze on and off but they often eat smaller fish, brine shrimp,
or other invertebrates whenever they get the chance. Usually anything that can fit inside a fish's mouth is food for
them, they're not picky at all.
The tangs, sturgeonfish, foxface, angelfish, etc. are all omnivores.
Carp is a very general term as well and includes many species of individual types of carps. Many carp actually filer
feed towards the surface (especially freshwater) but many are known to eat crustaceans, gastropods and tubeworms.
Finally, mussels are filter feeders so it's really hard to define whether or not they're 'vegetarian' or not.
They usually filter a combination of phytoplankton(algae) and zooplankton(small larvae or living creatures) so I would
call them omnivorous.

I'd say mermaids are omnivorous.

Not to be smug or anything, I don't mean to be rude xD
But fish are very advantageous. I'd say 98% of fish are either carnivores or omnivores and finding PURE herbivorous
fish is very rare.ALL open ocean fish and mammals are carnivorous, deep sea fish are carnivorous as well, alot of reef
fish are omnivorous, and most bottom-feeding fish are decomposers, which I suppose makes them omnivorous.

You're really more likely to find more mammals that are grazers than fish. I could be wrong, but it's just a guess from my
involvement with so many fish species overtime. I've only really seen some that graze on algae for the most part, but won't
think twice if a little crab walks by.

[Princess Kae-Leah]

Thanks for the info, Kanti! ;) Like I said, I'm no marine biologist, so I just Googled "herbivorous fish" and these are some of the species that came up. I think it would make sense for mers to TECHNICALLY be omnivores, eating stuff like coral and plankton which is technically a living being but, at least as far as I know, not usually thought to show much at all in the way of personality and intelligence and very low on the food chain. The main thing is that I believe that mers are friends with all kinds of fish, marine animals, crustaceans, etc. and can communicate with them so they see them as more or less equals.

[Kanti]

No problem. And yea fish can be primarily herbivores, but they do tend to eat almost anything lol.

Yea, like I said it depends how you look at it :')
If you think of mermaids like that, then sure, it would make sense that they're herbivores.

When I think of mermaids, I think of them as one with the food chain. I'd say there could be mermaids that are more closely related to manatees that may only eat seagrass
while others that live in more open oceans may be inclined to eat fish.

[Taylor is a Mermaid]

Aren't there some orcas that are (at least primarily) herbivores? I remember reading that somewhere...

[New York Mermaid]

um no taylor orcas are primarily carnivores, their diet is varied, but usually consists of fish, rays, sharks seals and both small and large cetaceans.

[SeaGlass Siren]

I still think of mermaids as mammals.. So they would eat seafood.
But I think if they had scales and were indeed half fish then maybe they'd still eat fish..?
I also think itd be optional for them to be "vegetarian" or "vegan". In theory if they were like us and had a solid head of their shoulders so to speak, I think they'd be able to decide what to eat and what dietary choices they'd make just like the rest of us.


I just had a thought... O.o what if they were mammals but they take the scales off their meal and use it for camouflage to catch more fish?

[MerEmma]

Personally I see mermaids being like humans. Some eat fish, some don't. That's how I've viewed them. With opinions! =P

Myself, despite my dad being a fisherman (charter guide meaning he's in tourism), I don't eat that much. He only brings it home if we ask for it or if his customers change their mind and don't want it. Where I live, the lagoon has very strict fishing laws. We write down the catch/release on paper and they keep very good track of it. You can't keep a fish over 27 inches or under 19 (I think those are the numbers). My dad mainly catches redfish and trouts. I love to go out in his boat because we get to see manatees and dolphins and all around the nature is very peaceful.

Only thing I don't like are the jerks. Yesterday there was a man with a rifle who almost killed my dad and his customer. They called 911 and the police came onto the lagoon but we don't know if they got the guy.

[Mermaid Melusinah]

I honestly see mers as being highly carnivorous. predatory even. But thats just me. now I know that I myself am a big fish eater. I am a hunter. Spearfishing is a great and enjoyable past time of mine when I am able to do it. I also hunt lobsters. Also a big fan of sushi... I have had a lot of different kinds. That being said, I guess that my views about mermaids are hindered by my own personal preferences maybe? idk. Either way, I think that mermaids did a lot of hunting and still ate the plants from time to time...

[SeaGlass Siren]

in theory they could also be predatory... way back in the day if we were all hunters and gatherers, who's to say they weren't as well?.. or even now they could still be.

[Lotus]

what's kind of funny to me about this thread is that as I'm sitting here reading it, I realized that I've never had an opinion about what merfolk would or wouldn't eat. I've always seen mers and sea creatures as a paralel for us top-side; some folks hunt, some forage, some enjoy playing with the animals, some enjoy sunbathing and drowning humans lol. I see them as being as diverse as the people around me rather than being all exactly the same. But hey, that's just me.
Oh, and I do eat seafood. Not very often, and usually just your every day stuff like salmon, ahi, shrimp, cod ect. I DO NOT eat grouper unless I cook it myself. Anyone who has handled large grouper raw in large chunks should understand why lol.
Also, to me, an animal doesn't have to speak to be a sentient being. I've had very close relationships with my horses, dogs and cats, and even with some of the large game animals that hang out in my back yard. I have a deep love and respect for animals- even the ones who sometimes kill people. They are just being what they are, which is a quality few people posses. That being said, hunting is a part of my life, and I'm always sad when an animal dies. It's a conundrum. But I'm grateful we have enough to eat, and that I know the animal ran free and won't die of disease or starvation later.

[Zephyr]

I think merpeople are carnivorous, but I don't think they're half fish. I think they'd be closer to part dolphin since dolphins are mammals, and that they'd make similar sounds. As far as diet I think they'd eat fish, shellfish, things like that. I can also see them using tools. I think they'd be pretty animalistic, so when it comes to survival, I don't see them being a friend to all living things kind-of mermaid.

I don't know if this has been covered but, would they go after sharks as well? I think both would probably be at odds with each other if they're, say, hunting in an area where large schools of fish gather. And what about birds? Sharks go after birds sometimes (I saw it a couple days ago in a documentary lol), so why not merpeople?