Group Aims to Get Motorists Hooked on Compassion
For Immediate Release:
March 30, 2011
Contact:
Ashley Gonzalez 202-483-7382
Troutville, Va. -- PETA has sent a letter to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) offering to sponsor the Troutville Safety Rest Area in return for permission to change the location's name to the "Fishing Hurts" Rest Area. PETA's offer comes in the wake of reports that VDOT is selling the rights to sponsor its 42 rest stops and welcome centers because of a budget crunch. In the letter, PETA points out that fish are intelligent animals who feel pain just as all other animals do. PETA has also asked for a reduced, nonprofit sponsorship rate.
"Our offer is a win-win solution: VDOT will net itself a paying sponsor, and motorists will learn that trout and other fish deserve compassion," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "The 'Fishing Hurts' Rest Area would make it clear that maiming and killing fish with hooks is a cruel, violent act."
For more information, please visit PETA.org or click here.
PETA's letter to the Virginia Department of Transportation follows.
March 30, 2011
Alice Braswell-Jones
Contract Officer
Administrative Services Procurement Section
Dear Ms. Braswell-Jones:
I am writing on behalf of Virginia-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 2 million members and supporters—including thousands across our home state—to inform you of PETA's interest in sponsoring the Troutville Safety Rest Area and re-naming it the "Fishing Hurts" Rest Area.
Once upon a time, no one thought twice about fishing, but nowadays, given the research into fish sentience and their ability to feel pain, fishing can only be considered a blood sport that causes significant physical and psychological suffering. People who fish recreationally might be surprised to learn that the journal Fish and Fisheries cited more than 500 research papers on fish intelligence and concluded that fish are smart animals with sophisticated social structures. Perhaps it is because of awareness of this kind of information that a bill was introduced into the legislature establishing the "right" to fish, although legal scholars believe that law is unconstitutional. Fish have extremely sensitive mouths and lips that they use in much the same way that we use our fingers. Clearly, fish suffer when impaled with a metal hook and dragged into an environment in which they can't breathe and are forced to gasp frantically. Dr. Donald Broom, scientific advisor to the British government, has said, "The scientific literature is quite clear. Anatomically, physiologically, and biologically, the pain system in fish is virtually the same as in birds and mammals."
PETA's "Fishing Hurts" Rest Area in Troutville would feature displays about fish intelligence, the pain caused by fishing, and the harm done to water birds and other aquatic life who become entangled in fishing line and ingest lost and discarded bobs and hooks. Our vending machines would dispense plush Sammy the Sea Kitten toys, which would teach children to have empathy for fish by comparing them to the kittens whom many of us are more familiar with. We would also consider stocking the vending machines with delicious vegan faux-fish sticks (made of healthy plant protein and spices) and other healthy fish-free snacks.
Allowing us to rename the Troutville facility the "Fishing Hurts" Rest Area would send a clear message that all violence is unacceptable, even when it is directed at those who are different from us. Would the Department of Transportation consider a reduced nonprofit rate for the annual rights fee required to sponsor a rest stop? Please contact me at 323-644-7382, extension 23, or TracyR@peta.org. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President