Imagine you can’t breathe. Panic sparks through your body like an electric current. And every second hurts more than the last. That’s what death looks like for rainbow trout and countless other fish slaughtered by air asphyxiation, a practice still common around the globe.

New research published in Scientific Reports establishes that fish feel intense pain—and they feel it for at least 10 excruciating minutes after they’ve been yanked from the water.

The number of fish killed for food is mind-bending: Over 2 trillion fish—from nature and raised on aquafarms—are killed each year, making them one of the most exploited animals on Earth.

Fish need our help to stop this mass slaughter, and it starts with humans putting down their rods and forks. After all, these would be federal crimes if we were talking about dogs or cats suffocating at human hands. But because they look different, fish are often misunderstood.

Animal experts say fish have advanced cognitive powers, including excellent memories. They form emotional attachments and become depressed when they lose their mates. Many fish enjoy physical contact, often gently swimming near each other to experience connection. They’re playful, too: Fish have been observed riding bubble streams for fun and even playing ball.

Some species of fish use tools, carry their eggs while heading to safer spots and eavesdrop on other fish to learn. Studies have shown that stingrays and cichlids can do basic math. And some fish can also pass the mirror test, showing signs of self-awareness.

Although we don’t understand their language, they talk to one another with clicks, pops and low-frequency grumbles—all of which help them maintain close friendships over many years. Catfish warn each other about predators by making squeaking sounds, which humans can hear only with special equipment. And pearlfish use oyster shells as speakers to help amplify the volume of their messages.

Despite the creativity and intelligence of fish, humans suffocate them while they’re conscious, with no laws protecting them from cruelty. On fish farms, they’re packed into filthy tanks or cages, suffer from parasites and injuries and often starve for days before slaughter. In their natural habitat, they’re hauled up in nets or hooked through the mouth and dragged into unbreathable air, where their last moments involve fear and struggle.

The devastation doesn’t stop with the victims we see on dinner plates—commercial fishing vessels leave behind a trail of destruction. Giant trawlers drag nets as large as football fields across the ocean floor, crushing coral reefs and ripping up delicate marine plants. Every animal in their path is caught in the chaos—sea turtles, crabs, dolphins, urchins and seals.

Long-line fishing adds to the carnage, casting out up to 75 miles of hooks that impale and kill indiscriminately. And then there are the ghostly drift nets—nearly invisible, these underwater death traps act as floating walls of doom, capturing anyone unlucky enough to swim into them.

It’s up to us to stop pretending fish are just swimming “products.” Because no matter how they’re raised or caught, eating fish fuels a system that profits from pain. It’s not sustainable, and it could never be ethical.

You can make a difference for fish by leaving them off your plate and trying kinder options such as cucumber or avocado sushi, chickpea salad, vegan fish filets and other delicious vegan foods.

Compassion doesn’t stop at the shoreline. So, please, let’s leave fish off the menu.

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Rebecca Libauskas is a climate research specialist for the PETA Foundation, 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510; www.PETA.org.

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