PETA, POTUS Agree: Plastic Straw Bans Not the Answer; Group Says Fishing Gear Kills Far More Turtles
For Immediate Release:
June 5, 2025
Contact:
Allyson Spellman 202-483-7382
On the heels of President Trump’s executive order banning the federal use of paper straws, PETA is diving into the debate with a new campaign that springboards off POTUS’s point: plastic straw bans just don’t hold water when it comes to protecting the ocean—it’s discarded commercial fishing gear that poses a far greater threat to marine life.
The provocative ads have surfaced ahead of World Ocean Day (June 8) near fishing spots and fishy restaurants in New Haven, Connecticut and Jersey City, New Jersey—two cities that have recently considered banning plastic straws—to remind everyone that saving turtles, whales, and all other aquatic animals is as simple as choosing a vegan meal.
“As the president has pointed out, pushing paper straws to protect the oceans is pointless, as millions more marine animals suffer and die tangled in commercial trawler nets and other abandoned or lost fishing gear,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA encourages everyone who wants to save our seas to make vegan meal choices.”
Every year, the fishing industry leaves behind a trail of victims that includes millions of birds, turtles, and other animals. Fishing is also abysmally 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, or gutted on the decks of fishing boats, all while conscious.
Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year, dramatically shrinks their carbon footprint, and avoids ingesting the many toxic chemicals found in the flesh of fish, including mercury, lead, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). 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.
