PETA campaigns against eating fish

[MrRant 0]

NEW YORK (AP) -- Touting tofu chowder and vegetarian sushi as alternatives, animal-rights activists have launched a novel campaign arguing that fish -- contrary to stereotype -- are intelligent, sensitive animals no more deserving of being eaten than a pet dog or cat.

 

Called the Fish Empathy Project, the campaign reflects a strategy shift by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals as it challenges a diet component widely viewed as nutritious and uncontroversial.

 

"No one would ever put a hook through a dog's or cat's mouth," said Bruce Friedrich, PETA's director of vegan outreach. "Once people start to understand that fish, although they come in different packaging, are just as intelligent, they'll stop eating them."

 

The campaign is in its infancy and will face broad skepticism. Major groups such as the American Heart Association recommend fish as part of a healthy diet; some academics say it is wrong to portray the intelligence and pain sensitivity of fish as comparable to mammals.

 

"Fish are very complex organisms that do all sorts of fascinating things," said University of Wyoming neuroscientist James Rose. "But to suggest they know they what's happening to them and worry about it, that's just not the case."

 

PETA, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, has campaigned for years against sport fishing, challenging claims by Rose and others that fish caught by anglers do not feel pain. PETA also has joined other critics in decrying the high levels of mercury or other toxins in many fish and the pollution discharged by many fish farms.

 

The Empathy Project is a departure in two respects -- attempting to depict the standard practices of commercial fishing as cruel and seeking to convince consumers that there are ethical reasons for not eating fish.

 

"Fish are so misunderstood because they're so far removed from our daily lives," said Karin Robertson, 24, the Empathy Project manager and daughter of an Indiana fisheries biologist. "They're such interesting, fascinating individuals, yet they're so incredibly abused."

 

The project was inspired by several recent scientific studies -- widely reported in Britain but little-noticed in the United States -- detailing facets of fish intelligence.

 

Oxford University researcher Theresa Burt de Perera, for example, reported that the blind Mexican cave fish is able to interpret water pressure changes to construct a detailed mental map of its surroundings.

 

"Most people dismiss fish as dimwitted pea-brains. ... Yet this is a great fallacy," wrote University of Edinburgh biologist Culum Brown in the June edition of New Scientist. "In many areas, such as memory, their cognitive powers match or exceed those of 'higher' vertebrates, including non-human primates."

 

Chris Glass of the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences in Massachusetts led another recent study, showing how North Sea haddock developed abilities to avoid trawlers' nets.

 

"There's no doubt that fish of all shapes and forms are capable of learning fairly complex tasks," Glass said. "They can learn from their environment and experience."

 

Yet Glass declined to endorse the don't-eat-fish appeals.

 

"We don't want to be caught between warring factions," he said. "We're interested in helping the fisheries industry do a responsible job."

 

To press their argument, PETA activists plan demonstrations starting next month at selected seafood restaurants nationwide. PETA also will urge changes in commercial fishing practices, for example proposing that trawler crews stun fish before cutting them up.

 

Friedrich questioned why there is popular support for sparing marine mammals -- dolphins and porpoises -- yet minimal concern for species like tuna, "whose suffering would warrant felony animal cruelty charges if they were mammals."

 

Fish-welfare rules would be a new realm for U.S. commercial fishermen. The National Fisheries Institute, which represents them, has pledged to help sustain fish stocks but its members have never faced cruelty regulations regarding their catch.

 

"It's irresponsible to discourage people from eating fish at a time when doctors and dietitians advise eating it twice a week," said institute president John Connelly. "If anything, we should be eating more fish."

 

Friedrich acknowledges the difficulty of changing long-held customs, but thinks his project is worthwhile. "We'd rather go too far than not far enough," he said.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/11/16/fish.empathy.ap/index.html

 

Is there anyway we can firebomb their headquarters?

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

We should gather these people up and lock them in cages with various wild animals.

[iggymcfly 0]

Friedrich acknowledges the difficulty of changing long-held customs, but thinks his project is worthwhile. "We'd rather go too far than not far enough," he said.

 

That last sentence pretty much says it all.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

I used to own pet fish as a kid and none of them were very bright.

 

And those salmon swimming back to their birthplace to spawn -- pure genius...

[Guest Nanks]

Why doesn't PETA set up camp in the African savannah and campaign against various big cats killing and eating various antelope??

 

Humans are animals, why aren't we allowed to be carnivores when others can??

[AndrewTS 0]

"No one would ever put a hook through a dog's or cat's mouth," said Bruce Friedrich, PETA's director of vegan outreach.

 

The fish put THEMSELVES on the hooks, and course we wouldn't put one through a dog or cat's mouth, since it'd be too much trouble even if he wanted to eat them. Of course, I avoid Chinese restaurants in general, even though I suspect it's actually just rat they're feeding us.

 

"Once people start to understand that fish, although they come in different packaging, are just as intelligent, they'll stop eating them."

 

No, they won't.

 

Humans are animals, why aren't we allowed to be carnivores when others can??

 

I never understood that, either. Maybe we have to kill our own meat instead of just buying it?

[Guest Loss]

This is ridiculous. A plant is a life form too. They respond to emotion. They grow faster when you play music around them and spend time with them. Are we supposed to just completely stop eating everything? PETA is an evil, evil group. And they routinely both fuck with nature and go too far.

[Guest Cerebus]

I used to own pet fish as a kid and none of them were very bright.

 

And those salmon swimming back to their birthplace to spawn -- pure genius...

I did that you know? Why do you think I still live here?

[Red Hot Thumbtack In The Eye 0]

Food chain, motherfucker. Hunting/fishing for the purpose of eating is pretty much the way of things, all the way down the line. The fact that these people have forgotten this is much worse than their ridiculous campaign strategies. 4 billion years of existence/evolution says that these guys are halfwits.

 

But we already knew that.

[2GOLD 0]

I'm starting to understand why Michael Wilbon wants to see all PETA members thrown under a bus...

[Guest Loss]

I don't want them thrown under a bus, but they'd be better off working with the humane society and doing PSA's against animal cruelty than they would be attacking Americans who eat meat.

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

Fish are tasty.

 

But a diet that limits meat intake is, technically, more energy efficient.

[2GOLD 0]

I don't want them thrown under a bus, but they'd be better off working with the humane society and doing PSA's against animal cruelty than they would be attacking Americans who eat meat.

 

But they don't, they just give animal rights group who do good jobs a bad rep by acting like brainless morons. Plus one of their members is Andy Dick and I'm all for the ass-kicking of Andy Dick.

[Slayer 0]

I would harvest and eat PETA members myself... if they weren't so malnourished

[Guest MikeSC]

This is ridiculous. A plant is a life form too. They respond to emotion. They grow faster when you play music around them and spend time with them. Are we supposed to just completely stop eating everything? PETA is an evil, evil group. And they routinely both fuck with nature and go too far.

That's been my argument. If they accept that there is no hierarchy of life, then they cannot justify their diet, whatsoever. Plants are every inch as living as animals.'

-=Mike

[Guest BDC]

They tried this a few years ago, starting by trying to break up a fishing tournament in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. They stood on the docks with sings like "Fishing: Cold Blooded Sport" and "Get Hooked on Compassion, Not Fish." They had divers cutting lines and shouted "Get a life, get a life."

 

Ignore the hypocrisy of that statement until I'm done.

 

Add in that they also tried to recruit Virgil Ward into this cause. The man that starred in and produced the most popular fishing series in history, part of multiple fishing halls of fame who retired to have MORE TIME TO FISH. And they tried to recruit him. Genius.

 

Penn and Teller's "Bullshit" also hit PETA like a ton of bricks. They discovered that the organization gives money to ecoterrorists (no surprise there). But even worse, with the animals they take in each year so they won't be euthanized, they euthanize 3/4s of the animals they take in.

 

It is, quite simply, one of the most hypocritical groups on the planet. They went to Scotland and told school children that drinking milk will give them gas, skin spots and more, they claimed that drinking milk leads to osteoperosis AND started their "Got Beer?" campaign.

 

These people are outright, total and complete idiots that don't even live to their own dogma. Vice Presidents on their boards use diabetes treatments developed on dogs, and as I said, they euthanize animals they take in supposedly to protect from that exact act.

 

This is a group that, on my hatred scale, is rivaled only by Fat Mikey.

 

EDIT: Grammatical errors.

[Guest Smues]

"No one would ever put a hook through a dog's or cat's mouth," said Bruce Friedrich, PETA's director of vegan outreach. "Once people start to understand that fish, although they come in different packaging, are just as intelligent, they'll stop eating them."

 

Aren't most fish used as food caught with nets and not hooks? PETA sucks. I need to figure out when the next time they have a protest in my town is and show up with a bucket of KFC. "Hey all this protesting is making me hungry. Want some food?"

[Guest BDC]

I don't want them thrown under a bus, but they'd be better off working with the humane society and doing PSA's against animal cruelty than they would be attacking Americans who eat meat.

Originally, that's what they did.

 

I don't know what the hell happened, but I seriously have a desire to wonder around with an elephant legbone and start beating on them.

[Guest BDC]

"No one would ever put a hook through a dog's or cat's mouth," said Bruce Friedrich, PETA's director of vegan outreach. "Once people start to understand that fish, although they come in different packaging, are just as intelligent, they'll stop eating them."

 

Aren't most fish used as food caught with nets and not hooks? PETA sucks. I need to figure out when the next time they have a protest in my town is and show up with a bucket of KFC. "Hey all this protesting is making me hungry. Want some food?"

Watch out, those bastards are likely to attack you. That's exactly how far gone they are.

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

Why are they anti-milk? Isn't it painful for cows not to be milked?

 

drinking milk will give them gas

 

Well they were right on this, at least, from my experience.

[Slayer 0]

Watch out, those bastards are likely to attack you.  That's exactly how far gone they are.

So fight back?

 

They're not exactly meat-eating weightlifters, I imagine

[Guest BDC]

Why are they anti-milk? Isn't it painful for cows not to be milked?

Yes, it IS, but that isn't important to them. As they've said over and over again: "Today's dairy cow is treated like nothing more than a milk producing machine."

 

As Mad Max on the John Boy and Billy Show said: "HEY, it's a COW."

 

Basically, don't give them facts when it conflicts with their point of view. Those are irrelevent. That's part of why I hate that organization.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I think the best PETA thing is how they protest milk and milking cows despite the fact that cows have a nasty habit of dying a horribly painful death if you don't milk them.

[Guest Smues]

As someone who hasn't found a vegetable he can eat, what the fuck am I supposed to eat/drink? I can't live on bananas and water. Fuck you PETA. On the upside maybe this fish thing will lead to more Wilbon bashing PETA on PTI. Tearing up the stuffed chicken was gold.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Hopefully it leads to PTI playing the bear and the trampoline video again.

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

As someone who hasn't found a vegetable he can eat, what the fuck am I supposed to eat/drink? I can't live on bananas and water. Fuck you PETA. On the upside maybe this fish thing will lead to more Wilbon bashing PETA on PTI. Tearing up the stuffed chicken was gold.

You don't even like potatoes?

[Guest BDC]

Watch out, those bastards are likely to attack you.  That's exactly how far gone they are.

So fight back?

 

They're not exactly meat-eating weightlifters, I imagine

No, but their vegan rage will... hell, I dunno, let them break their fingernails on you or something.

[Big Ol' Smitty 0]

http://veggie.org/veggie/famous.veg.athletes.shtml

 

Famous vegetarian athletes.

[Slayer 0]

Hey, TCR's favorite analyst is a vegetarian

[Guest BDC]

http://veggie.org/veggie/famous.veg.athletes.shtml

 

Famous vegetarian athletes.

Okay, great and all, but why did they put a CHESS PLAYER on a list of vegan athletes?