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Contact: Dan Shannon 757-622-7382
Fed up to the gills with fishing fallacies, PETA is asking managers of Arizona’s state parks to make parklands a safe haven for fish and other wildlife. In letters sent today to Ken Travis, Arizona’s director of parks, and to the manager of each individual state park in Arizona, PETA details the suffering caused by fishing and asks that this violent activity be banned.
Arizona state parks have already sent gun-toting hunters packing, and PETA’s "Fishing Hurts" Campaign coordinator, Dan Shannon, says fishers should be cast out next.
"Fish have a fully developed central nervous system, which means that they experience pain, stress, and suffering as other animals do," says Shannon, sinking the old myth that fish don’t feel pain. "Fishing amounts to hunting in the water."
PETA points out that, contrary to its promoters’ claims, fishing is far from a harmless pastime. Besides the millions of fish who are either killed outright or fatally injured, wildlife rehabilitators report that lost or discarded fishing gear—hooks, monofilament line, sinkers, and floats—is the single leading cause of life-threatening injuries and premature death for birds, marine mammals, and other aquatic animals.
Over the past several months, PETA has called on Louisiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Minnesota, Georgia, Arkansas, and Michigan State Parks to ban fishing as well. For more information, please visit our Web site FishingHurts.com.
The letter to Mr. Travis follows.
April 11, 2002
Ken Travis, Executive Director
Arizona State Parks
1300 W. Washington
Phoenix, AZ 85007
1 page via fax: 602-542-4180
Dear Mr. Travis:
On behalf of PETA’s more than 750,000 members and supporters, as well as the fish, birds, and other animals that make Arizona state parks their home, we respectfully request that fishing be banned in all Arizona state parks.
According to an article in U.S. News & World Report ("Parks in Peril," Jul. 21, 1997), the park system is bending under the pressure of encroachment, underfunding, overcrowding, and pollution. Eliminating fishing and its harmful effects would take some of this pressure off the parks and their inhabitants.
The violent process of fishing and its consequences do not complement the peace and tranquility of a state park. As you know, fish have a neurochemical system like ours and thus the brain capacity to experience fear and pain. Fish who are torn from the water suffer from being impaled, thrown, stepped on, or mutilated while alive. Many die slowly and painfully from suffocation.
Fishing has other victims, too: In one case among many, a young bald eagle was found by the National Park Service near death because of injuries to his feet caused by fishing line that had cut through his flesh, resulting in a systemic infection and intense suffering. He required intensive daily care for three months before he could be successfully released. Not all animals are as lucky. Millions of birds and other animals suffer—and many die—from injuries caused by discarded fishing hooks, monofilament line, lead weights, and floats. Animals who become entangled in fishing line are often trapped underwater and drown or, unable to feed, die slowly of starvation. In fact, many wildlife rehabilitators tell us that fishing litter is the single greatest cause of injuries to aquatic animals.
Arizona state parks have already made the compassionate choice to ban hunting, and we are asking you to take the next step. Fishing amounts to hunting in the water. The tide is turning on sportfishing with the widespread recognition of the sentience of fish and the desire to live a more compassionate, less harmful life. After reading the enclosed materials, we hope that you will make the decision to ban fishing in Arizona state parks and turn them into true havens for all.
Please contact me if you have any questions. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Dan Shannon
"Fishing Hurts" Campaign
Don't tell me that PETA isn't after fishing.
Westy...
Contact: Dan Shannon 757-622-7382
Fed up to the gills with fishing fallacies, PETA is asking managers of Arizona’s state parks to make parklands a safe haven for fish and other wildlife. In letters sent today to Ken Travis, Arizona’s director of parks, and to the manager of each individual state park in Arizona, PETA details the suffering caused by fishing and asks that this violent activity be banned.
Arizona state parks have already sent gun-toting hunters packing, and PETA’s "Fishing Hurts" Campaign coordinator, Dan Shannon, says fishers should be cast out next.
"Fish have a fully developed central nervous system, which means that they experience pain, stress, and suffering as other animals do," says Shannon, sinking the old myth that fish don’t feel pain. "Fishing amounts to hunting in the water."
PETA points out that, contrary to its promoters’ claims, fishing is far from a harmless pastime. Besides the millions of fish who are either killed outright or fatally injured, wildlife rehabilitators report that lost or discarded fishing gear—hooks, monofilament line, sinkers, and floats—is the single leading cause of life-threatening injuries and premature death for birds, marine mammals, and other aquatic animals.
Over the past several months, PETA has called on Louisiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Minnesota, Georgia, Arkansas, and Michigan State Parks to ban fishing as well. For more information, please visit our Web site FishingHurts.com.
The letter to Mr. Travis follows.
April 11, 2002
Ken Travis, Executive Director
Arizona State Parks
1300 W. Washington
Phoenix, AZ 85007
1 page via fax: 602-542-4180
Dear Mr. Travis:
On behalf of PETA’s more than 750,000 members and supporters, as well as the fish, birds, and other animals that make Arizona state parks their home, we respectfully request that fishing be banned in all Arizona state parks.
According to an article in U.S. News & World Report ("Parks in Peril," Jul. 21, 1997), the park system is bending under the pressure of encroachment, underfunding, overcrowding, and pollution. Eliminating fishing and its harmful effects would take some of this pressure off the parks and their inhabitants.
The violent process of fishing and its consequences do not complement the peace and tranquility of a state park. As you know, fish have a neurochemical system like ours and thus the brain capacity to experience fear and pain. Fish who are torn from the water suffer from being impaled, thrown, stepped on, or mutilated while alive. Many die slowly and painfully from suffocation.
Fishing has other victims, too: In one case among many, a young bald eagle was found by the National Park Service near death because of injuries to his feet caused by fishing line that had cut through his flesh, resulting in a systemic infection and intense suffering. He required intensive daily care for three months before he could be successfully released. Not all animals are as lucky. Millions of birds and other animals suffer—and many die—from injuries caused by discarded fishing hooks, monofilament line, lead weights, and floats. Animals who become entangled in fishing line are often trapped underwater and drown or, unable to feed, die slowly of starvation. In fact, many wildlife rehabilitators tell us that fishing litter is the single greatest cause of injuries to aquatic animals.
Arizona state parks have already made the compassionate choice to ban hunting, and we are asking you to take the next step. Fishing amounts to hunting in the water. The tide is turning on sportfishing with the widespread recognition of the sentience of fish and the desire to live a more compassionate, less harmful life. After reading the enclosed materials, we hope that you will make the decision to ban fishing in Arizona state parks and turn them into true havens for all.
Please contact me if you have any questions. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Dan Shannon
"Fishing Hurts" Campaign
Don't tell me that PETA isn't after fishing.
Westy...
