Humpback Whale Killed by Crab Pot Lines Prompts PETA Plea: Stop Eating Fish to Save Whales

For Immediate Release:
November 24, 2025

Contact:
Hannah Nelson 202-483-7382

A young humpback whale washed ashore fatally entangled in crab pot lines recently, and now PETA will place sky-high messages near Portland restaurants that serve sea life to pay tribute to the whale and point out who’s responsible for his death—anyone who eats fish, crabs, or other aquatic animals. The pointed plea reminds people that fishing and crabbing gear kills hundreds of thousands of whales, dolphins, seals, turtles, and birds and millions of sharks and rays every year—and the only way to stop the suffering is to go vegan.

“The fishing industry has choked the ocean with discarded nets and ropes, and marine animals will continue to suffer and die in droves so long as humans eat other marine life,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA encourages everyone distraught by the agony this young whale suffered as he lay helpless on the beach for days to stand up for all sea life by going vegan.”

In addition to the millions of animals accidentally killed in fishing nets, the fishing industry is also terribly cruel to its intended victims: More fish are killed for food each year than all other animals combined. Fish feel pain as acutely as mammals do, have long-term memories, and sing underwater—yet they’re impaled, crushed, suffocated, dropped into pots of boiling water, or cut open and gutted, all while conscious. PETA’s free vegan starter kit can help anyone thinking of making the switch.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.