Fish Amnesty Day is right around the corner, so now is the perfect time to educate others about these fascinating animals! Fish look so unlike humans that it's sometimes hard to imagine they feel pain in the same way we do, but scientists who study pain agree that the pain response in fish is basically identical to the pain response in mammals and birds. Many people don't realize that fish also have complex psychology that rivals that of dogs and some other mammals.

For people who oppose cruelty to animals, the abuse of fish by the fishing industry (as well as by sport and recreational fishers) should be a key concern. More than 17 billion fish are killed for food in the U.S. alone every year, and sport fishing and angling kill another 245 million animals annually. Without any legal protection from cruel treatment, fish are impaled, crushed, suffocated, or cut open and gutted—all while they're still conscious.

Please help us celebrate Fish Amnesty Day all month long. Order PETA's Fish Amnesty Day Leafleting Pack, which contains our "Fishing Hurts" and "Take a Closer Look at Fish" leaflets as well as "Fish Are Friends, Not Food" stickers that you can pass out or post on bulletin boards at your workplace or your favorite café. We'll also include a free "Vegetarianism in a Nutshell" CD with every pack we send out!

Feel free to e-mail us if you would like to discuss other ways you can speak up for fish this Fish Amnesty Day and every day. We'd love to hear your ideas and pass on your stories to others who share your passion for speaking up in behalf of animals!

Sincerely,

Erin Edwards, Activist Liaison

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

ATeam@peta.org