Fish Factory Farms

High-tech, high-volume systems control food, light (in indoor farms such as the one pictured), and growth stimulation. Drugs, hormones, and genetic engineering are used to accelerate growth and change reproductive behaviors in the fish. High mortality rates, disease, and parasite infestations are common. Deformities and stress-related injuries are also a regular occurrence; on some farms, as many as 40 percent of the fish are blind—another health problem that is ignored because it doesn't affect the farms financially.