For Immediate Release:
April 16, 2021
Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382
Norfolk, Va. – Tomorrow, PETA supporters will gather at the pier of Ocean View Fishing Pier for a new “trash fishing” initiative, inspired by the father-and-son duo who decided to tackle trash—from tires to tin cans—in Michigan’s Detroit River. Held nationwide, including in Denver, Los Angeles, and New York City, PETA’s community cleanup events supply attendees with eco-friendly gloves, compostable trash bags, and vegan snacks such as Swedish Fish candy.
When: Saturday, April 17, 10:15 a.m.
Where: Ocean View Fishing Pier, Norfolk
“Discarded tackle is a leading cause of pollution, proving that fishing doesn’t just hurt fish—it also trashes the planet,” says PETA Director of Campaigns Danielle Katz. “PETA’s new initiative is a fun and family-friendly way to make waters safer for fish, birds, turtles, and other wildlife.”
Every year, anglers leave behind a trail of victims that includes millions of animals who sustain debilitating injuries after swallowing fish hooks or becoming entangled in fishing line. Some 640,000 tons of fishing “ghost gear” enter the world’s oceans every year.
PETA also notes that traditional fishing is a cruel practice of hooking gentle animals through their sensitive mouths, watching them slowly suffocate, and sometimes even gutting them while they’re still alive. Even though they are now known to feel pain as acutely as mammals do, more fish are killed for food each year than all other animals combined.
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 or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
