Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

PETA TO National Aquarium: Please Don't Eat the Fish!


PETA TO National Aquarium of New Zealand: Please Don't Eat the Fish!

Group Points to the Hypocrisy of Serving Intelligent Aquatic Animals in Aquarium Café

Napier – Serving fish at an aquarium is like serving "poodle burgers" at a dog show. That's the message that was sent to Rob Yarrall, manager of the National Aquarium of New Zealand, in a letter fired off this morning by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Australia asking that all fish dishes be removed from the menu. Despite the fact that fish are intelligent animals who feel pain and that part of the aquarium's role is to act as an educational facility, the Fish Bowl Cafe includes fish and chips on its menu.

When they are dragged from the ocean's depths, fish undergo excruciating decompression, which often causes their eyes to pop out of their sockets and pushes their stomachs out through their mouths. When they are tossed onto ships' decks, many fish slowly suffocate or are crushed to death. Fish on fish farms spend their entire lives confined to cramped, filthy tanks before being violently killed and are often cut open while still alive. The journal Fish and Fisheries has cited more than 500 research papers on fish intelligence that prove that fish can use tools and have impressive long-term memories and sophisticated social structures.

Serving fish also places National Aquarium of New Zealand customers at risk. None of us would dream of drinking water tainted by sewage, pesticides, heavy metals and other contaminants, yet we'll unthinkingly eat fish who are pulled out of such a toxic brew. Fish absorb the chemicals that are in water and can pass them on to people who eat their flesh. Food Standards Australia New Zealand found that 16 per cent of Australian farmed fish tested positive for the fungicide malachite green. The Victorian government has issued warnings to reduce the consumption of fish and eels caught in Australian rivers because of contaminants.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

"We're calling on the National Aquarium of New Zealand and the Fish Bowl Cafe to get their act together", says PETA Australia Director of Campaigns Jason Baker. "How can people take the aquarium's supposed respect for fish seriously when they open their menus and choices of fish's body parts are staring them in the face?"

PETA's letter to the National Aquarium of New Zealand is available upon request. For more information on how fish suffer before they're killed for their flesh, please visit FishingHurts.com.

ends

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.