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! 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.