PETA targets Aquarium of the Pacific over seafood promotion

News item: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sharply criticizes the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach for a promotion designed to help consumers make responsible choices when dining at area seafood restaurants.

A letter sent by PETA vice president Tracy Reimanto to aquarium president and CEO Jerry Schubel contained this quote: "Encouraging aquarium visitors to eat fish is like serving poodle burgers at a dog show."

Reaction: Poodle burgers sound disgusting. Seared albacore with fennel and arugula sounds wonderful. Perhaps PETA would be better served by focusing on real issues and go after, say, restaurants that serve shark-fin soup, which might thereby help to stop the brutal practice of finning --  the slicing of fins from live sharks at sea.

People are going to eat fish, and PETA cannot change that. So the Aquarium of the Pacific is to be commended, not criticized, for its "Seafood for the Future" program. It has partnered with more than a dozen restaurants so far. They've stamped their menus with logos next to seafood items that are harvested in a sustainable manner, or farmed in a way that does not harm the environment. Patrons who chose those items are rewarded with free passes to the aquarium.

Said Schubel to the Long Beach Press-Telegram: "The entire program is very consistent with our mission because we are committed to conserving wild stocks of fish. And one of the best ways to do that -- since seafood is so popular -- is to influence the choices that people make so that they will choose seafood wisely."

That mission is "to instill a sense of wonder, respect, and stewardship for the Pacific Ocean, its inhabitants and ecosystems," and the photo atop this item is just one bit of evidence that the facility is fulfilling its mission.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Volunteer diver Dirk Burcham waves to Sofia Ferguson, 2, at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

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Comments

[petaphiles]

Awww, all the petaphiles coming to their rescue.

Pass the fish sticks and tartar sauce, please!

[L. Metzger]

While the world would be a better place if everyone stopped eating fish, the reality is that is probably not going to happen. With that in mind, institutions like Monterey Bay Aquarium and Aquarium of the Pacific are trying to educate the public on sustainable seafood choices. Consider this: if a consumer is going to the grocery store and is set on buying salmon for dinner, wouldn't you rather them buy Alaska Wild Caught Salmon as opposed to Farmed Salmon? The environmental impact of the two is very different. Thanks to guides like the Seafood Watch Guide that Monterey Bay Aquarium puts out (in print and for gadgets like the iphone) et al, consumers can educate themselves about smart choices if they choose to eat fish. If people are going to eat seafood, at least give them the tools to make smart choices.

[Ryan]

PETA once again failing to show any common sense...

Human beings are omnivores, the Aquarium of the Pacific is encouraging people to be alert, intelligent, and thoughtful about their food choices.

PETA is being short-sighted, ignorant, and downright silly in opposing this with no reasonable support.

[Jonathan K]

I'll stop eating animals when animals stop eating animals.

[IEATFISH]

Don't see what's so wrong about eating fish. My ancestors ate fish and now I eat it. Lots of good protein and vitamins. I don't need to supplement my diet with bottled up vitamins like a lot of other people I know.

Anyways, eat what you want when you want.

[kristin]

PETA is completely out of touch with reality. The human race has eaten animals for thousands of years. People eat continue to eat animals and animal products because those products are tasty--usually more so than their vegetarian counterparts.

The Aquarium is doing the right thing to promote sustainable harvesting of marine life.

[Greg]

Couldn't agree more. PETA needs to be much wiser in choosing its battles. The organization severly undermines its already shaky credibility by attacking an organization promoting responsible consumer behavior. Go figure. I picked up the same guide at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and use it all the time. I couldn't think of a more logical place to educate the public about what types of seafood to eat than a public aquarium. Does PETA's leadership think that the public wouldn't otherwise eat a significant percentage of the types of fish they go to see in their natural environment at the aquariums in question? What are they supposed to do, promote keeping crabs and pelagic tuna as pets? Get real PETA or shut up. I wonder how many PETA board members eat fish, like vegans who wear leather belts and drive cars with leather upholstery.

[David]

I thought PETA was an acronym for "People Eating Tasty Animals" ?!?

[Mir]

As usual PETA is correct and logical. People should stop eating and abusing animals.

[Caroline]

"People are going to eat fish, and PETA is not going to change that."

What is your reference for that statement? Sounds like:

People are going to wear fur, and PETA is not going to change that."

They changed it.

Caroline Collins
San Pedro

[John]

It's a little silly, but they do make a good point. Do fish feel pain, by the way?