This World Animal Day, the World Federation for Animals (WFA) launched #CelebrateAllAnimals, a campaign featuring personal stories from member organisations about what drives their work for animals. From whales to chickens, orangutans to farm animals, the campaign showcases why every species deserves our attention and care.
Ethical Seafood Research is proud to participate in this global initiative alongside inspiring advocates like Philip Lymbery from Compassion in World Farming, Sophika Kostyniuk from Aquatic Life Institute, and many others sharing their powerful connections to animals. Our founder and director, Wasseem Emam, shared his journey into fish welfare advocacy and why Nile tilapia (one of the world’s most farmed yet overlooked species) matter.
Discover inspiring stories from animal advocates around the world:
Wasseem’s path to fish welfare began during field work in Canada early in his career.
“I was sampling freshwater fish looking for contaminants to advise the public on safe levels to consume,” he recalls. “I remember holding a small yellow perch in my hand and I could see it gasping and realizing that fish suffer. From that moment, I really realized how vulnerable, especially freshwater fish, were.”
In his video, Wasseem shares surprising facts about tilapia, they can recognize human faces, mothers carry their babies in their mouths for protection, and they feel pain and form social bonds. “We celebrate all animals, not just the charismatic ones, but also the ones that we overlook,” he says.
