Giant Fish Tackles Anglers At Expo

For Immediate Release:
8th April, 1999

Contact:
Toni Vernelli: 0181 875 1085

Birmingham — Looming over morning rush hour traffic, a giant “fish”will join members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) as they unfurl a giant banner reading “Fishing: The Cruelest Form of Hunting”, over the M42.

Date: Thursday, 8th April
Time: 9:00 am sharp
Place: A45 bridge over the M42, junction 6 (NEC slip road), facing south

PETA’s protest targets Angling ‘99, opening today at the National Exhibition Centre, for promoting cruelty to fish.

Why the fuss over fishing? Fish experience pain and fear and suffer greatly when they are impaled in the mouth and torn from the water. They begin to die slowly of suffocation the moment they are pulled out of the water. And fishing hurts other animals, too. Millions of birds and other animals suffer and die from injuries caused by discarded fishing hooks, monofilament line, and lures. Mammals who become entangled in fishing line are often trapped underwater and drown. In fact, wildlife rehabilitators say fishing litter is one of the greatest causes of injuries to aquatic animals.

“Animal suffering of any kind is not a ‘sport,'” says PETA’s Toni Vernelli. PETA is calling on anglers to lay down their rods and reels, toss their tackle, and get hooked on more harmless outdoor pastimes like hiking, canoeing, mountain-biking, camping or rock climbing.

For more information, please visit PETA’s Web site at www.NoFishing.net.