For Immediate Release:
June 14, 2023
Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382
Atlantic City, N.J. – Featuring a “talking” fish with an unmistakable New Jersey accent, a new PETA appeal near a seafood market, a fishing supply store, and multiple restaurants is asking locals, “J’eet yet?” while urging residents of the Garden State—home to six major commercial fishing ports, including a local one—to treat aquatic animals with kindness by opting for crispy vegan fish fillets and other tasty fish-free fare.
“Fish aren’t swimming potatoes. They really do talk, using squeaks, squeals, and other low-frequency sounds to communicate with each other,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “Beyond the beaches of ‘America’s Playground’ are feeling individuals who value their lives, just as we do, and PETA encourages everyone to exercise their empathy by choosing delicious vegan food.”
Fish feel pain, share knowledge, have long memories, and have cultural traditions. Some woo potential mates by creating intricate works of art in the sand on the ocean floor, yet more fish are killed for food each year than all other animals combined. They’re impaled, crushed, suffocated, or cut open and gutted—often while they’re completely conscious. In addition, 38 million tons of other aquatic animals are unintentionally caught each year to satisfy consumers’ demand for “seafood.” Every person who goes vegan saves the lives of nearly 200 animals, including aquatic ones, each year.
PETA’s billboard is located on Christopher Columbus Boulevard, next to Bass Pro Shops, near parking for Caesars Atlantic City (which houses Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill, Morton’s The Steakhouse, and KWI Noodle House), and close to Barbera Seafood Market, Dock’s Oyster House, and other restaurants.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
