Will ‘Big Jim’ Can the Sardines for a Block of Tofu? PETA Hopes to Help Restore Local Landmark in Exchange for Vegan Glow-Up

For Immediate Release:
April 14, 2026

Contact:
Hannah Nelson 202-483-7382

The Penobscot Marine Museum is seeking donations to restore Prospect Harbor’s 40-foot-tall fisherman effigy, Big Jim, and PETA has stepped up, offering to chip in to shore up the roadside icon—with a little catch. In a letter sent today to Executive Director Karen Smith, PETA pledges to help the museum meet its fundraising goal, if it agrees to swap the sardine can in Big Jim’s arms for a block of tofu, the most versatile food on the planet, and today’s answer to “Where do you get your protein” – but without the iodine and pain that comes with the fish.

“Modernizing Big Jim would remind everyone that fish are individuals who feel pain and fear just as we all do, and that while sardines may be small, they are not insignificant and don’t deserve to be dragged from their ocean homes and left to suffocate,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA hopes Big Jim will soon stand tall for aquatic life with this fintastic win-win offer.”

A recent study found that fish can experience disabling and even excruciating pain for at least 10 minutes—and, in some cases, for over an hour—before their brains shut down and they become unconscious. Each person who goes vegan spares the lives of nearly 200 animals every year. PETA’s free vegan starter kit can help those looking to make 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.

PETA’s letter to Smith follows.

April 14, 2026

Karen Smith

Executive Director

Dear Ms. Smith:

Good tidings! I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—PETA entities have more than 10.4 million members and supporters globally, including over 34,000 in Maine—with an offer that is sure to make waves among Searsport’s locals and visitors alike: We’ll help you meet your fundraising goal for restoring the Big Jim statue if you agree to have the artists replace the proposed sardine can he is holding with a block of tofu instead, similar to the image below. Please allow me to explain.

In much the same way that New England no longer promotes whaling, its citizens shouldn’t promote the sardine industry, which has long been finished, having devastated sardine populations and facing significantly declining demand. Ever more people are becoming concerned about the unsustainable global fishing industry. Because of this increasing awareness, the market for vegan seafood (and there are now even vegan sardines and other tinned “fish”) is projected to reach $1.3 billion within a few years. More and more people, particularly young people, are realizing that fish deserve to be treated with kindness: 9% of 18- to 24-year-olds and 6% of 25- to 34-year-olds are giving up seafood altogether.

An ocean of evidence demonstrates that fish suffer enormously when they’re dragged from their homes in nets or impaled with hooks and suffocated or stabbed and gutted alive. And just like dogs and cats, or you and I, fish have individual personalities. They communicate with others, show affection, and are resourceful.

A state-of-the-art tofu-loving Big Jim statue could help tip the scale towards kindness, sparking conversation and showing that compassion evolves along with tradition. Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to hearing from you.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid Newkirk

Founder