Trade Your Tackle for “Trash Fishing” Kit: PETA Offers Anglers Enviro-Friendly Swap

For Immediate Release:
September 22, 2026

Contact:
Hannah Nelson 202-483-7382

To celebrate Fish Amnesty Day on Saturday, September 26, PETA will invite anglers to trade in their fishing poles and other gear for free trash-fishing kits at Pompano Beach Fisher Family Pier. The kits encourage people to leave fish in the ocean where they belong and take up a fun, animal- and environmentally-friendly option to fishing by “catching” discarded hooks, fishing line, and other trash that harm fish, birds, turtles, and other wildlife.

“More and more, people are learning that snagged or discarded line and other fishing gear is a disaster, and that fish are in pain and fighting for their lives when that hook bites into their lips and they’re yanked from their aquatic homes,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is encouraging everyone to trade in their tackle, and help protect animals and waterways by going trash fishing instead.”

Where:           Pompano Beach Fisher Family Pier, 222 N Pompano Beach Blvd, Pompano Beach

When:             Saturday, September 26, 12 noon

Why:               Fish Amnesty Day was launched in 1997 and is celebrated annually on the fourth Saturday in September to remind people that fish are living, feeling individuals. Fish have long memories, sing to one another, and some create elaborate artworks in the sand on the ocean floor to attract mates. Yet billions of fish die every year in nets and on hooks, while millions of birds, turtles, and other animals are injured or killed due to trash in waterways—with discarded fishing gear posing a particularly grave threat, as wildlife can easily become ensnared in abandoned line or nets.

Those looking to give aquatic animals a helping hand can get their own Trash Fishing Provisions Kit in the PETA Shop, while anyone ready to take the plunge and go vegan for the animals, the environment, or their own health can find a free vegan starter kit on PETA’s website.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way”—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.