Sit Down for This: Killer Seafood Eaters Confronted in New Bench Blitz from PETA | PETA bench ad blitz in Long Island reads "Are you a beach killer?"

For Immediate Release:
June 16, 2026

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

Long Island, N.Y. –

“Are you a beach killer?” That’s the provocative question PETA is putting to diners on Long Island, plastering benches near seafood restaurants with a wave of appeals urging everyone to go vegan and stop fueling an industry that massacres aquatic animals and decimates the oceans they call home.

Credit: PETA

PETA notes 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. Commercial fishing is one of the biggest threats to marine ecosystems, with fishing gear killing millions of birds, turtles, dolphins, manatees, and whales every year.

“No one wants to be violently dragged from their homes, slowly asphyxiated, or gutted alive, yet that’s the horrific suffering inflicted upon billions of fish every year by an industry laying waste to aquatic ecosystems,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA urges everyone to leave sea life off their plates in favor of delicious vegan meals.”

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 nearly 200 animals every year. PETA’s free vegan starter kit and guide to the best vegan seafood can help those looking to make the switch.

PETA’s appeals are located near fish-serving restaurants and other eateries throughout Long Island, including at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Clarke Street; Brentwood Road near Candlewood Road; Pineaire Drive near Manatuck Boulevard; Brentwood Road near Texas Avenue; and Johnson Avenue near Ocean Avenue.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and fear, a fish is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.