Pescatarianism (also spelled pescetarianism) is the practice of following a diet that includes fish or other seafood, but not the flesh of other animals. Most pescatarians maintain a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet with the addition of fish and shellfish.
Etymology
Pescatarian is a neologism formed as a portmanteau of the Spanish and Portuguese word pescado ("fish as food") and the English word "vegetarian". The alternative spelling, pescetarian, is influenced by the Italian word pesce ("fish"). The English pronunciation of both pescatarian and pescetarian is /?p?sk?'t??ri?n/, with a /sk/ sound, present in the Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation of pescado (/peskaðo/ and /pesk'ad?/, respectively), but not in the Italian pesce (/'pe?e/).
Pescado derives from piscatus, the perfect passive participle of the Latin verb piscare ("to fish"), which is directly related to the noun piscis ("fish"). Hence, the prefix pisci- is used for terms that refer to fish, which are oftentimes scholarly in nature (e.g. "pisciculture" /'p?s?k?lt??r/ or "piscivore" /'p?s?v?r/). Note that a piscivore, as a type of carnivore, eats a diet primarily of fish, whereas the neologism pescatarian refers to someone who consumes plant derivatives as well as fish. A similar term is vegequarian.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary dates the origin of the term pescatarian to 1993 and defines it as: "one whose diet includes fish but no other meat."
Rationale
Ethics
Similarly to vegetarianism, some pescatarians adopt the diet on the basis of ethics, either as a transition to vegetarianism, not treating fish on the same moral level as other animals, or as a compromise to obtain nutrients not found in plants.
Health considerations
One commonly cited reason is that of health, based on findings that red meat is detrimental to health in many cases due to non-lean red meats containing high amounts of saturated fats, choline and carnitine. Eating certain kinds of fish raises HDL levels, and some fish are a convenient source of omega-3 fatty acids, and have numerous health benefits in one food variety. A 1999 meta-analysis of five studies comparing vegetarian and non-vegetarian mortality rates in Western countries found that in comparison with regular meat-eaters, mortality from ischemic heart disease was 34% lower in pescatarians, 34% lower in ovo-lacto vegetarians, 26% lower in vegans and 20% lower in occasional meat-eaters.
Concerns have been raised about consuming some fish varieties containing toxins such as mercury and PCBs, though it is possible to select fish that contain little or no mercury and moderate the consumption of mercury-containing fish.
Abstinence in religion
Judaism
Pescatarianism (provided the fish is ruled kosher – i.e., fish with fins and scales, and usually caught without bloodshed) conforms to Jewish dietary laws, as kosher fish is "parve" – neither 'milk' nor 'meat'. In Sefardic Jewish homes, fish is never served with foods made with milk products. All non-fish seafood is not-Kosher.
A member of the Liberal Judaism synagogue in Manchester founded The Pescetarian Society in 2015 to represent the interests of pescatarianism.
Roman Catholicism
Adhering to a diet closely resembling pescatarianism is a form of penance among Roman Catholics. Such an approach is mandatory of Catholics on all Fridays of the year, except in places such as the United States of America, where the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops made the practice optional but recommended. It is still mandatory on Ash Wednesday and every Friday during Lent, and some Traditionalist Catholics choose to abstain from meat during the entire 40-day Lenten season, as was common practice in earlier times.
Orthodox Christian and Byzantine Catholic usages
Eastern Orthodox Christians consume a variation of a pescatarian diet (allowing shellfish and mollusks without fish directly) on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year, as well as during Great Lent and the Nativity Fast (which in fact allows fish many days of the fast) and certain other fasting periods. Western Rite Orthodox are slightly more lax, requiring a stricter fasting period (single meal per day) but allowing a typical pescatarian diet as cited above. During fasting periods, dairy (whether eggs or milk-based product) is prohibited. In general, an Orthodox Christian diet uses a variation on pescatarianism approximately half the liturgical year. These usages are described in the Typikon, or Ustav, of each local Orthodox Church.
By contrast, Byzantine Rite Catholic Churches such as the Ruthenian Catholic Church have a set minimum of requirements for fasting, which includes eating fish, and an ideal fast described in Eastern Canon Law as permitting only shellfish, but not fish or other meat. Fasting periods vary widely; some churches, such as the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, have abbreviated the fast to start on December 10, following the Feast of the Conception by Saint Anne, reducing the fast to 15 days. [unreliable source?] The Melkite Greek Catholic Church permits meat on Saturdays, Sundays, and certain feasts, all of which are not treated as fast days. The Melkite Church describes three levels of fasting: The Law – "That which is required", The Tradition – "That which the devout follow", and Customary Compromises.
In general, Eastern Christian (whether Orthodox or Catholic) monks eat no meat, but outside the aforementioned fasting periods, will consume dairy (except Wednesdays and Fridays, and in some cases Mondays).
Hinduism
By tradition, most Hindu Brahmin communities follow a strict lacto-vegetarian diet. However, there are a number of Brahmin sub-groups that allow fish eating. These include the Goud Saraswat Brahmin community from Coastal South-Western India. This community regards seafood in general as vegetables from the sea. They refrain from eating any land based animals. Other Hindu communities who consume seafood in great quantity are the Maithili Brahmin and the Bengali Brahmin. The latter also eat meat on special occasions.
Comparisons to other diets
Pescatarianism is similar to many traditional diets emphasizing fish as well as fruits, vegetables and grains. Many coastal populations tend to eat this way and these features characterize the traditional Mediterranean diet and the diets of many parts of Asia, Northern Europe, and the Caribbean. These traditional diets tend to also include meat although it is peripheral. In common with some vegetarians, pescatarians often eat eggs and/or dairy products, in addition to fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains.
Pescatarians are sometimes described as vegetarian or pesco-vegetarian, but vegetarians commonly do not consider the pescatarian diet to be vegetarian. For example, the Vegetarian Society, which initiated popular use of the term vegetarian as early as 1847, does not consider pescatarianism to be a vegetarian diet. The definitions of vegetarian in mainstream dictionaries sometimes include fish in the diet. The Pescetarian Society evolved separately from The Vegetarian Society to better represent the lifestyle and interests of pesco-vegetarians.
