For those Buddhists out there in the Saltwater Nation, Dr. Man Chi-sum reminds you to be careful what fish species you release, and where.

Practicing Buddhists often release animals into the wild that would otherwise be slaughtered. This act of compassion honors the Buddha’s own teachings of compassion. Many people choose fish because they’re relatively cheap compared to other animals.

However, as Amy Nip reports, many practitioners buy fish and then release them into the wrong areas. The fish either die quickly or cause devastation to local ecosystems as an invasive species. Residents in Florida know this problem all too well through releases of lionfish into Florida reefs.

Ken Ching See-ho, director of Green Power’s Eco-education and Resources Centre, has suggested that “Anyone who needed to release fish for religious purposes could switch to duskytail groupers, red snappers or sweetlips.”

 

 

By Sean

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