Can Vegetarians Eat Fish? The Definitive Distinction Explained

December 24, 2025 •

4 min read

Over 90 million tonnes of fish are caught globally each year, yet the answer to "can vegetarians eat fish?" is a definitive no. This common point of confusion highlights the fundamental difference between a traditional vegetarian diet, which excludes all animal flesh, and a pescetarian diet, which includes fish and seafood.

Quick Summary

This article clarifies the distinction between vegetarian and pescetarian diets. It covers the core principles of vegetarianism, defines the pescetarian eating pattern, and discusses the ethical, environmental, and nutritional factors that influence a person's choice to follow either diet.

Key Points

Definition: A vegetarian diet, by definition, excludes all animal flesh, including fish and seafood.
Pescetarian: A person who eats a plant-based diet plus fish and other seafood is a pescetarian, not a vegetarian.
Nutritional Edge: Pescetarianism offers an easier way to obtain critical nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA) and Vitamin B12, which can be challenging for strict vegetarians to acquire naturally.
Ethical Basis: The distinction is rooted in ethical beliefs about animal sentience and suffering, with many vegetarians asserting that fish can feel pain just like other animals.
Common Misconception: The widespread confusion stems from the common but incorrect belief that fish is not considered meat.
Environmental Trade-offs: Both diets have different environmental impacts; while pescetarianism avoids the heavy footprint of red meat, it still supports an industry with sustainability and bycatch issues.

Defining the Vegetarian Diet

A vegetarian diet centers on plant-based foods, but with several popular variations. The core principle is the exclusion of all animal flesh, including meat, poultry, and seafood. The different types are distinguished by which animal by-products they include.

Lacto-ovo Vegetarian: The most common form, which includes dairy products and eggs, in addition to plant foods.
Lacto Vegetarian: A diet that includes dairy but excludes eggs and all animal flesh.
Ovo Vegetarian: A diet that includes eggs but excludes all dairy products and animal flesh.
Vegan: The strictest form, excluding all animal products and by-products, including meat, fish, dairy, and eggs.

For a person to be considered a vegetarian, their diet must exclude fish. The confusion often arises because some people who follow a mostly plant-based diet without red meat incorrectly identify as vegetarian, blurring the definition.

The Pescetarian Diet: A Distinct Path

The term "pescetarian" (sometimes spelled "pescatarian") combines the Italian word for fish, "pesce," with "vegetarian". This diet is primarily plant-based but includes fish and seafood, offering more dietary flexibility and additional nutritional benefits compared to a strict vegetarian diet. There are several reasons an individual might choose this path:

Health Benefits: Pescetarians receive the nutritional advantages of a plant-based diet while also benefiting from the high-quality protein, omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), vitamin B12, and zinc found in fish.
Ethical Compromise: Some individuals may object to the practices of factory farming for mammals and poultry but perceive the welfare issues surrounding fish as less severe, though this perception is debated.
Environmental Impact: While not impact-free, the environmental footprint of fishing, particularly for certain species, can be lower than that of red meat production.
Dietary Transition: The pescetarian diet is sometimes adopted as a stepping stone toward a fully vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.

Ethical and Environmental Differences

For many, the ethical and environmental implications are the central reason for choosing a diet. The line between vegetarian and pescetarian is clear on these fronts, with significant debate surrounding the consumption of fish.

Animal Sentience: The ethical foundation of vegetarianism often rests on respecting sentient animal life. Evidence increasingly suggests that fish feel pain, leading ethical vegetarians to argue that excluding them from the diet is morally consistent with avoiding other animal flesh.
Fishing Industry Practices: While potentially having a lower footprint than red meat, the fishing industry faces its own serious ethical and environmental issues. These include unsustainable fishing practices, mass-scale aquaculture with questionable welfare standards, and significant bycatch (unintentionally catching marine life like dolphins and turtles). As noted by experts in an article by Newsweek, the ethical implications are substantial. Newsweek Article on the Pescatarian Dilemma.

Nutritional Considerations

Both diets can be extremely healthy when properly planned. However, the inclusion of fish provides pescetarians with a more convenient source of certain nutrients that vegetarians must consciously seek out.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Fatty fish are the richest dietary source of EPA and DHA, forms of omega-3s that are vital for brain and heart health. Vegetarians can get the precursor ALA from sources like flaxseed and walnuts, but the conversion to EPA and DHA in the body is often inefficient.
Vitamin B12: This essential nutrient is primarily found in animal products. While lacto-ovo vegetarians get it from dairy and eggs, vegans and some vegetarians must rely on fortified foods or supplements. Fish provides an excellent natural source of B12 for pescetarians.
Protein and Zinc: Both diets offer ample protein and zinc from plant-based sources like legumes, nuts, and soy. However, the inclusion of fish and seafood provides additional, easily absorbed sources of these nutrients for pescetarians.

Comparison Table: Vegetarian vs. Pescetarian


Feature	Vegetarian	Pescetarian
Dietary Scope	Plant-based, plus optional dairy/eggs. Excludes all animal flesh.	Plant-based, plus fish and seafood. May also include dairy/eggs.
Includes Fish?	No.	Yes.
Primary Protein Source	Legumes, nuts, seeds, grains, soy, dairy, eggs.	Fish/seafood, plus all vegetarian sources.
Primary Omega-3 Source	ALA from plants (flax, walnuts). Conversion to EPA/DHA is inefficient.	EPA/DHA directly from fish, plus ALA from plants.
Primary Vitamin B12 Source	Dairy, eggs, fortified foods, supplements.	Fish/seafood, plus dairy, eggs, and fortified foods.
Ethical Stance	Based on the non-consumption of all animal flesh.	A potentially modified ethical view, often distinguishing between livestock and fish.

Conclusion

To answer the question, a person who eats fish is, by definition, not a vegetarian but a pescetarian. The motivations for choosing either diet are diverse, stemming from health objectives, ethical convictions, and environmental concerns. While both dietary patterns can be healthy and sustainable, they are fundamentally distinct. The right choice depends on an individual's personal values regarding animal welfare and their nutritional priorities. Understanding this key difference is essential for accurate communication and informed dietary choices.

Frequently Asked Questions

A pescetarian is not a vegetarian because a vegetarian diet explicitly excludes all animal flesh, and fish is a form of animal flesh. Pescetarians eat fish, which fundamentally contradicts the core principle of vegetarianism.

Yes, from a biological and dietary perspective, fish is considered meat. Meat refers to the flesh of an animal consumed as food. The common confusion stems from a social or culinary distinction, not a scientific one.

A pescetarian diet offers the health benefits of a plant-based diet (lower disease risk, healthier weight) combined with the benefits of fish, such as high-quality protein, heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), and key vitamins like B12.

Recent scientific research strongly suggests that fish possess the neurological capacity to feel pain. Many ethical vegetarians therefore include fish in their compassionate dietary restrictions.

Pescetarianism generally has a lower environmental footprint than a diet heavy in red meat. However, it still contributes to concerns like overfishing, bycatch, and aquaculture impacts, issues a plant-based vegetarian diet avoids entirely.

Vegetarians and vegans can obtain omega-3s from plant-based sources like flaxseed, walnuts, and chia seeds, though the body's conversion of ALA to the more active EPA and DHA is often inefficient. Algae-based supplements are an excellent way to get preformed EPA and DHA directly.

A flexitarian, or semi-vegetarian, diet is primarily plant-based but includes meat or fish occasionally. It is a more flexible eating pattern than either a vegetarian or pescetarian diet.