PETA pickets New
England aquarium
for serving fish in its
cafeteria
October 16, 1998
Web posted at: 3:55 p.m. EDT (1555 GMT)
See the menu for
yourself
BOSTON (CNN) -- People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
picketed the New England Aquarium
Thursday, to protest the fact that fish
are both on display (in tanks) and on the
menu (in the cafeteria).
Members carried placards telling
aquarium visitors that "Fish are friends,
not food" and "Fishing hurts." One
protester even dressed in a fish suit to
illustrate the group's message: Fish
shouldn't be on plates at a place that
claims to cherish them.
"I'm sure it must be a very moving experience to see all these beautiful,
incredible animals swimming around. And then we go and put a fork in them
in the cafeteria. It's just unnecessary," said Dawn Carr, a PETA
spokeswoman.
The aquarium defended itself in a statement on its Web site.
"While it may seem contradictory that a public aquarium, whose mission is to
present, promote and protect the world of water, is serving seafood, we
don't think it's so strange. People have eaten seafood for thousands of
years," the statement said.
The animals in the exhibits never end up on the menu, and the seafood items
sold in the cafeteria during the day and served at evening functions are all
species from healthy populations caught using responsible fishing practices,
according to the aquarium's statement.
"We make every effort to ensure that the
seafood we serve comes from a
sustainable source, a fishery where
people are permitted to harvest only as
much fish as the ecosystem can continue
to replenish," the statement said.
PETA wants the aquarium to adopt a
vegetarian menu with fake seafood, such
as tuna and salmon made from soybeans.
As it turns out, hot dogs are the top seller
at the aquarium's Harbor Cafe. However,
other favorites are fish sandwiches, fish
nuggets and clam chowder. The menu for
evening functions is more upscale and includes grilled shrimp, tuna, crab
cakes and salmon.
Todd Mulder, the aquarium's food services director, pointed out that other
foods on the menu, including the hamburgers and chicken sandwiches, were
once alive. If he only served food without a face, he would face
unemployment, Mulder said.
"Unfortunately," he said, "I think most eating is heartless."
CNN Correspondent Bill Delaney contributed to this report. |
