Photos of Dead Betta Fish at Local Petco Stores Spark Protest

PETA Takes Aim at Chain’s Irresponsible Fish Sales

For Immediate Release:
May 10, 2019

Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382

Armed with photos of betta fish floating listlessly and even lying dead in tiny cups inside Oahu Petco stores, a group of PETA supporters will descend on one of the stores on Sunday for a lively protest against the chain’s sale of the animals.

When:    Sunday, May 12, 10 a.m.

Where:    Petco, 1121 S. Beretania St., Honolulu

“It’s shameful that betta fish are suffering and dying right on Petco’s shelves,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on Petco to stop profiting from the misery of these vulnerable little animals.”

Betta fish sold in the U.S. come primarily from breeding farms in Southeast Asia, and they’re often starved for several days during the transport process. Many die before and during shipment to retailers, which can take days. Although bettas in nature live in the shallow water of rice paddies, ponds, or slow-moving streams, Petco sells the fish in small plastic cups with just a couple of inches of water, marketing them as “low-maintenance” pets or office decorations. Scores of Petco customers have reported finding sick and dead bettas floating in filthy water on the store’s shelves.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.