PETA REPORT ON FISHING REVEALS ANIMAL ABUSE, CHEMICAL TOXINS AND FILTH

For Immediate Release:

24 September 2009

Contact:

Nikunj Sharma; (0) 9967766220

Mumbai -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has just released an exhaustive investigative report on fishing which reveals environmental devastation, animal suffering, unhygienic conditions and serious risks to human health. PETA compiled the report, which took over a year to complete, because India is the third-leading producer of fish flesh in the world. The group relied on firsthand investigations as well as scientific studies and reports from government and NGO sources. The comprehensive report discusses fish markets, potentially deadly chemical toxins that are commonly found in fish and the nature and intelligence of fish. It also addresses "sport" fishing (angling), commercial fishing and fish farming.

Consider the following:

·        Because they have a large concentration of nerve endings in their mouths, fish who are caught on hooks experience severe pain before they are pulled to shore and are usually left to suffocate slowly. Studies show that even fish who are released in water after they're caught usually die from injuries and stress.

·        Not only is commercial fishing a cruel enterprise, it also devastates ecosystems. Bottom trawling is among the most damaging and unsustainable fishing practice in India. Bottom trawling involves dragging huge, heavy nets along the sea floor. The populations of deep-water life forms who are either hauled up in the nets or crushed by the nets' wheels can take decades to recover. According to recent studies, populations of many of the most popular fish have declined by as much as 90 per cent.

·        PETA's firsthand investigation of fish farms revealed sick, parasite-infested fish who were forced to live in filthy water. Also, aquafarms squander resources: It can take approximately 2.5 kilograms of wild-caught fish to produce just 400 grams of farmed fish. The water the fish live in is teeming with fish faeces, antibiotic-laden fish feed and diseased fish carcasses.

"From the sea or fish farm to the fish market, the fishing industry is a monument to animal suffering, environmental degradation and serious health risks", says PETA campaign coordinator Nikunj Sharma. "The industry has made catching and raising fish just as cruel and destructive as raising chickens and other animals on abusive factory farms."

For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com.

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