When you see “seafood” on a menu, it’s often marketed as fresh, clean, and sustainable. But Animal Outlook’s groundbreaking salmon investigation revealed a grotesque reality—one your choices can help change.
What Our Salmon Investigation Revealed
Animal Outlook conducted the first-ever undercover exposé of salmon aquaculture in the U.S. Our investigator worked inside Cooke Aquaculture, supplying the True North Seafood brand.
Behind glossy packaging and promises of “sustainability” and “optimal” animal welfare, our investigator witnessed:
- Workers throwing, stomping on, and slamming live fish into concrete
- Fish crammed into putrid tanks of water teeming with disease
- Fish with spinal deformities and fungal infections eating away at their faces
- Workers cutting the fins of live fish just to identify them
This wasn’t a one‑off bad actor. It reflects systemic problems in fish factory farming and how fish are treated when companies think no one is watching.
You Don’t Have to Give Up Familiar Flavors
Choosing vegan seafood is one of the easiest—and most meaningful—ways to stand up for fish and reject deceptive marketing claims.
The good news: you don’t have to give up the flavors, textures, or traditions you love. Today’s plant‑based seafood options are:
- Delicious: Crafted with seaweed, legumes, and other plant proteins for authentic taste and texture
- Widely available: Found in major grocery chains and online
- Completely cruelty‑free: No live gutting, no suffocation, no slaughter lines
Below are standout vegan seafood brands and how to enjoy them.
Discover Vegan Seafood
Good Catch
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Good Catch, based in New York, NY, is on a mission to preserve the ocean’s natural resources while creating flavorful plant‑based seafood‑style products. Their six-legume blend—peas, chickpeas, lentils, soy, fava beans, and navy beans—gives each product a realistic, flaky texture packed with protein and fiber.
Popular products:
- Plant‑based fish cakes
- Plant‑based salmon burgers
- Plant‑based fish sticks
Great for:
- Quick, protein‑packed lunches
- Burgers with grilled pineapple and pico de gallo
- Small decorative bites and appetizers
Where to buy:
- Whole Foods, Sprouts, and other major grocery stores
- Online retailers, including Amazon, Instacart, and other grocery delivery platforms
Save Da Sea
© Save Da Sea
Save Da Sea is a woman‑founded and led business based in Victoria, BC. It’s known for delicious, wholesome products made from simple ingredients like carrots, kelp, jackfruit, and flax oil, which provides omega‑3 fatty acids.
Popular products:
- Carrot lox cashew spread
- Plant‑based smoked salmon
- Plant‑based tuna salad
Great for:
- Spreading on crackers as an appetizer or snack
- Bagels with dairy‑free cream cheese
- Toasted sandwiches with melted vegan cheese
Where to buy:
- Natural food stores and co‑ops
- Select grocery chains, including Whole Foods, New Seasons Market, and Town & Country Foods
Mind Blown (The Plant Based Seafood Co.)
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Mind Blown, an all‑female, family‑owned company based in Chesapeake Bay, VA, makes chef‑crafted plant‑based versions of coastal favorites—so close to the real thing they live up to the name. They use simple, ocean‑friendly ingredients and avoid palm oil.
Popular products:
- Crab‑style cakes
- Crispy crunchy fried “shrimp”
- Plant‑based scallop‑style medallions
Great for:
- Pasta dishes with “shrimp” or “scallops”
- Party platters and appetizers
- Seafood‑style paella
Where to buy:
- The company’s website and online retailers such as WebstaurantStore
- Food‑service providers, including Purple Carrot and Hungryroot
Gardein
© Conagra Brands
Gardein, a long‑standing leader in plant‑based protein based in Richmond, BC, offers widely available fishless options perfect for familiar comfort meals. While Gardein is primarily sold in grocery stores, its products have also appeared on restaurant menus—making them easy to enjoy at home or when dining out.
Popular products:
- Crispy breaded f’sh
- Golden fishless filets
- Mini crabless cakes
Great for:
- Classic f’sh and thick‑cut fries
- Toasted sandwiches with creamy vegan tartar sauce
- Party platters and family meals
Where to buy:
- Freezer sections at major supermarkets, including Kroger, Smith’s, and Wegmans
- Big‑box stores like Walmart and Target
- Online retailers, including Amazon and Instacart
Loma Linda
© Loma Linda Brand
Loma Linda has been a plant‑based pioneer since 1890, inspired by the health‑conscious community of Loma Linda, CA, which was featured in the Netflix documentary Blue Zones. They created the revolutionary TUNO seafood alternative—fish‑free, ocean‑safe, and delicious.
Popular products:
- TUNO (available in lemon pepper, spring water, Thai sweet chili, and pesto and sun‑dried tomato varieties)
- Vegetable skallops
Great for:
- Swapping into any recipe that traditionally calls for tuna
- Adding skallops to soups, casseroles, and stir‑fries
- Skewering skallop kabobs with your favorite grilled veggies
Where to buy:
- Natural food stores, Walmart, and other retailers
- Adventist Book Centers (ABC)
- Online through Amazon and other marketplaces
Fish Feel Pain—and They’re Not Protected
These brands make compassionate choices easy—but it’s crucial to remember why these choices matter.
For years, fishing industries have relied on the myth that fish are too simple to suffer. Science says otherwise. Fish have brains, pain receptors, and nervous systems that respond to injury and stress. They learn, avoid harm, recognize individuals, and even cooperate to solve problems.
As biologist Dr. Jonathan Balcombe writes in his New York Times bestseller, What a Fish Knows, “there is now a large body of evidence showing that fishes feel pain,” supported by anatomical, physiological, and behavioral research.
Yet in the U.S., fish are:
- Excluded from the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act
- Excluded from the Animal Welfare Act
- Often not covered by state cruelty laws
Legally, they’re not treated as living, feeling beings deserving protection.
Protect Fish with Your Plate
Every time you choose plant‑based seafood, you:
- Refuse to fund violent practices like suffocation on ice, bludgeoning, and live gutting
- Push back against deceptive “sustainable” and “humane” seafood labels
- Show the industry that consumers want compassion, not cruelty
Every vegan seafood meal is a vote for fish—and against their exploitation.
Seek out brands like Good Catch, Save Da Sea, Mind Blown, Gardein, and Loma Linda at your local grocery store or online. Try vegan seafood at your next meal and experience how easy—and delicious—compassion can be.
Comments 1
Lets protect the ones that have no voice