SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (Aug. 1, 2024) — To celebrate the fifth annual Respect for Fish Day on August 1, In Defense of Animals has teamed up with politician Georgie Purcell, actor Ben Lotka, scientists Mary Finelli and Jonathan Balcombe, and Greenpeace co-founder and Sea Shepherd founder Captain Paul Watson who is facing 15 years in prison for his ocean activism. They are sharing their “fish tales” to raise awareness about fish sentience and change public perception about these fascinating animals. Media and members of the public are invited to join an expert panel online on August 1, and an in-person event in San Francisco on August 3. 

Captain Paul Watson’s ships have been exclusively vegetarian since 1979 then went vegan in 1999. When asked why he stopped eating fish, the famed oceans campaigner said, “When I was eight, I was punished severely for throwing a trout that my father caught back into the river. I remember crying and telling him that the fish were drowning out of the water. He told me I was ridiculous…As a child, I saw firsthand how destructive the fishing industry was. I heard them after bragging about the whales and seals they shot and the seabirds they tortured. The tuna industry’s by-killing of dolphins disturbed me immensely.”

Watson says cruelty and marine ecosystem destruction are “inherent in the industry.” At Cop21, Watson put out a call for a 75-year moratorium on commercial fishing to allow the ocean to repair from fishing damage. He added, “Fishes are engineers for the life support system we call the sea.”

Georgie Purcell, Australian Member of Parliament for the Animal Justice Party said, “There are countless reasons for why we must respect fish and our oceans from preserving the ecological integrity of our oceans, for our climate, and even just so that the next generation can see a fish in the ocean past 2048. All that aside, fish deserve a right to life in and of themselves without needing to produce any net benefit to us.” 

Georgie Purcell stopped eating fish as a child saying her mind made no distinction between fish and the animals she shared her home with. “To me, they were all the same and equally deserving of life, and one that I was not willing to take for my own fleeting pleasure.”

Jonathan Balcombe, an ethologist and author of What A Fish Knows said, “From childhood it was always obvious to me that fishes are equivalent to other vertebrate animals. They have faces and skeletons, they bleed red blood, and they show wariness, fear, hunger, and curiosity — to mention just a few of their qualities… I would no sooner eat a tiger than a tuna.”

Mary Finelli, Founder of Fish Feel said, “Fishes are sentient beings, which many people intuitively realize, and as science has shown. They are as deserving of respect, fairness, moral consideration and compassion as any other sentient beings.”

She urged people to watch Seaspiracy, calling it “a must-see documentary that has opened many people’s eyes to the cruelty and environmental recklessness of fishing and fish farming.”

In his fish tale video for In Defense of Animals, Actor Ben Lotka said, “all animals deserve to live in their natural homes undisturbed so that they can live according to how their species evolved to live so that they have a chance of experiencing fulfillment, which is something I think we all deserve.”

Respect for Fish Day began in 2019 as a day to bring fish into the spotlight of animal advocacy. Globally, trillions of fish are caught, farmed, killed, intentionally or as bycatch, every year, yet despite the growing body of research concluding that fish are sentient, they have been left with little protection. They have been excluded from the Animal Welfare Act and the Humane Slaughter Act, and a number of states exclude them from their animal cruelty laws. They are also often left out of conversations surrounding welfare and receive less attention than other charismatic species when it comes to conservation.  

Research shows that fishes are smart animals who feel pain, experience emotions, form social bonds, use tools and even play. Cleaner wrasse have also passed the mirror self-recognition test, which is believed to show they are self aware.

“Fish are all too often thought of as less important beings because they are not perceived as sentient or intelligent by the general public,” said Lia Wilbourn, Farmed Animals Campaign Coordinator at In Defense of Animals. “They are also animals who are harder to relate to, as they live underwater and their suffering goes largely unseen.” 

In Defense of Animals is also campaigning to raise awareness about the cruelty and environmental damage of fishing, with a focus this year on the barbaric sport of bowfishing cownose rays. Rays are often left to suffocate and bleed out, experiencing extreme pain and prolonged suffering. Bowfishers have been filmed beating the mother rays with clubs and killing their newborn pups. Cownose rays are listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, highlighting the urgent need to protect them.

All fishing causes harm:

• Recreational fishing involves hooking marine animals in the face, dragging them out of their habitats, and suffocating them, causing severe pain and suffering.
• Commercial fishing, including for fishes promoted as “wild-caught,” uses massive bottom trawling nets to tow along the ocean floor, scooping up and killing any non-target marine animals in their path, including whales, dolphins, turtles, octopuses, and seals. These marine animals, considered "bycatch," are left to die in the net, on the boat, or thrown back into the water.
• Continuing to eat fish is unsustainable for the future of the planet. Each year, 120 billion fish are killed on fish farms and 1 trillion wild fish are captured and killed.
• Family fishing encourages children to engage in and normalize the ruthless torment and killing of animals.

August 1: Virtual Fish Sentience Expert Panel, 2-5 p.m. PT

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A panel discussion with fish scientists and experts, including What a Fish Knows author and ethologist Dr. Jonathan Balcombe and Fish Feel Founder Mary Finelli, will dive deep into the fascinating world of fish sentience, exploring the science behind their complex behaviors and emotional capacities. Our panel will discuss why understanding fish sentience is crucial and how this knowledge can contribute towards treating fish with the respect and compassion they deserve.

August 3: In-Person Fish Tales Event, 12-3 p.m. PT

At Aquatic Park in San Francisco, In Defense of Animals will host an impactful and fun event to celebrate fish, all marine life, and the oceans! Featured speakers and activists tell their Fish Tales — personal, heartfelt stories about why they stopped eating fish. Mermaid or ocean-themed dress is encouraged!

The in-person Fish Tales Event will raise awareness about fish sentience and the cruel, destructive nature of the fishing industry, while encouraging people to respect all animals by leaving them alone and off our plates. The event will take place just east of the Maritime Museum, on the grassy area, near the bleachers.

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Discover the importance of protecting fish and how to get involved:  https://idausa.org/respectfish 

Download our pamphlet on the harms and hazards of fishing. 

Concerned citizens can take action to protect fish by sending a letter to end the cruel sport of bowfishing cownose rays and other sentient marine animals: https://www.idausa.org/campaign/farmed-animal/fish/latest-news/ban-bowfishing-contests-animal-cruelty/

Images: Available on request

Contact: In Defense of Animals, Lia Wilbourn, lia@idausa.org, 707-776-6828

Respect for Fish Day focuses on bringing awareness to the plights of fish, which often goes unseen or is misunderstood, and the consequential harms to other animals that come as a result of fish abuse. Respect For Fish Day promotes fish sentience and protection via themes including the “pet” trade, fishing, and ghost gear. 

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization based in Marin County, California, with over 250,000 supporters and a 40-year history of fighting for animals, people, and the environment through education and campaigns, as well as hands-on rescue facilities in India, South Korea, California, and Mississippi. www.idausa.org/respectfish

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