Catch This! Divers Discover That Fish Are Someones

Two True-Life Fish Stories

Hiroyuki Arakawa, the caretaker of an underwater Shinto shrine in Japan’s Tateyama Bay, first saw the Asian sheepshead wrasse by the shrine’s gate. She was weak, and he noticed that she seemed unable to find her own food, so for the next 10 days, the kindhearted diver nursed the fish he named Yoriko back to health. Decades later, they were still the best of friends. Arakawa visited Yoriko often, greeting her with a kiss on the head.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Rex Colubra, who fished for fun in the US Great Lakes, was opening his eyes underwater.

One day, Colubra went snorkeling and immediately noticed something when the fish came up to him to get a closer look: “The majority of fish had horribly disfigured faces. Ripped jaws, hanging lips, large black bruises and swollen mouths. … Then I surfaced for air, saw the [catch-and-release] anglers and made the connection … oh.” He was also “blown away by how intelligent and curious” the fish were. One fish, in particular, whom he named Elvis, took quite a shine to Colubra and started following him around. Colubra decided to trade in his tackle box for goggles.

You Betta Believe It! Fish Just Wanna Be Friends

It’s undeniable: Fish feel pain, have long memories, sing to each other, share knowledge, and have cultural traditions. Some fish can recognize themselves in mirrors or photos, and others woo potential partners by creating intricate works of art in the sand on the ocean floor. “Cleaner fish,” who remove parasites from other – often much larger – fish, remember their clients much as a hair stylist does and pamper them with massages. When guppies get angry, their eyes turn black – only one way among many that fish communicate with one another. A recent study showed that fish can recognize individual humans, something that became obvious to Elvis’ and Yoriko’s human friends.

Yet, horrifyingly, if you consider that each individual feels, more fish are killed for food each year than all other animals combined. They’re impaled, crushed, suffocated, and even cut open and gutted – often while they’re completely conscious. Many are tormented for “sport,” and others are caught or become entangled in fishing gear meant to ensnare other sea life.

“I find it astonishing that many people seem shocked at the idea that fish feel. The way I see it, some people have wondrous fish-like characteristics – they can think and feel!”—Oceanographer Sylvia Earle

Every Opportunaty to Promote Kindness

Through eye-catching ads and protests, fauxfish giveaways, and more, PETA entities make waves to educate others about fish.

Ahead of Lent, PETA LAMBS – PETA’s faith outreach division – blitzed buses with pro-vegan appeals and offered PETA’s beautiful Fish Empathy Quilt for display in churches. PETA UK also asked the Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre to display the colorful quilt and raised awareness by encouraging lozenge-maker Fisherman’s Friend to rebrand with a nicer name.

PETA India’s “mermaid” asked passersby to consider who’s on their plate. And for Valentine’s Day, we released the first and only PETA-approved fishnet … tights – with proceeds funding fish-friendly campaigns.