Fishermen, Beware!

The organization known self-righteously as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, has a campaign underway which North American sportsmen and commercial fishermen will ignore at their own peril. Here's the "catch," so to speak. PETA has a website called FishingHurts. If you click over to the site you'll see that PETA has re-christened the class of animals we know as fish into "Sea Kittens."

On the site you'll see the cutest little cartoon collection of creatures--little finned friends that look like extras from the set of "The Little Mermaid." PETA's purpose: to indoctrinate children at the youngest ages to think of fish the same way they think of the pets in their own household. To brainwash children as young as three into thinking that the concept of catching or eating fish is cannibalistic and sadistic.

PETA is very clear about their objective: "Would people think twice about ordering fish sticks if they were called sea kitten sticks? Would sea kitten soufflé be a hot seller at the local seafood restaurant? Does fillet o' sea kitten sound even remotely appetizing? Learn more about the new campaign to save fish by changing their name." (from http://www.fishinghurts.com/)

The goal is (extra points if you know where this is going) to have the federal government ban fishing. Here's is PETA's call to action for you: "Given the drastic situation for this country's sea kittens—who are often the victims of many major threats to their welfare and ways of life—it's high time that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) stop allowing our little sea kitten friends to be tortured and killed. Who'd want to hurt a sea kitten anyway?!"

Besides sending a message on your behalf to the FWS, you can read sea-kitten stories, share your stories with a friend, create your own sea-kitten, and buy cool sea-kitten logo wear for all the world to see how ethically superior to them you are.

Look, I think PETA adherents are self-righteous, delusional fringe players in the national debate about resource conservation. I don't much care when they splash blood on a Hollywood actress wearing a fur coat, or post videos to You Tube featuring naked young women protesting for animal rights. But this sea-kitten scam goes to far. It affects the livelihood of those working in the sport fishing industry--both fresh and salt water--as well as the millions of commercial fishermen in North America--from the First Peoples in Labrador to the shellfish watermen of Maryland's Eastern Shore. These are people who barely eke out a living as it is. Where will they go for ethical treatment when their livelihood is taken away?

I think anyone connected to these industries as well as all sport fishermen in North America, who are the real conservationists of this important resource, need to circulate this link and get the word out that these self-indulgent do-gooders have gone too far this time. With the current group in charge of Congress, they just might be successful.

Just thought you might like to know.