PETA to Hong Kong Ocean Park: Please Don’t Eat the Fish!
PETA to Hong Kong Ocean Park: Please Don’t Eat the Fish!
Group Points to the Hypocrisy of Serving Marine Animals in an Aquarium That Claims to Celebrate Them
Hong Kong — Serving fish in an aquarium restaurant is like serving poodle burgers at a dog show. That’s the blunt message sent today in a formal letter from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to Mr. Paulo Pong Kin-yee, the Chairman of Hong Kong Ocean Park Corporation. PETA is calling on the park to pull all fish dishes from the menus at each of its restaurants and cafés, pointing to the ethical and educational contradictions as well as to risks to human health.
Hong Kong Ocean Park serves jade fish, seabass, sea cucumbers, shrimp, and a variety of other ocean animals at its restaurants—some of these species are also featured in the park’s exhibits—in stark contrast to its stated mission of being a world-class conservation and education hub. Wild-caught fish sustain intense decompression injuries as they’re dragged from the depths, often causing their eyes to pop and their organs to protrude from their mouths. Farm-raised fish live in overcrowded, often filthy conditions and are routinely cut open while still conscious or packed in ice to suffocate slowly—methods of slaughter that would be deemed unacceptable for any land animal. Discarded fishing gear kills millions of whales, sharks, turtles, and other “nontarget” animals every year.
Eating fish also puts customers’ health at risk. Research has proven that farmed fish can contain antibiotic residues that promote antimicrobial resistance, while wild-caught fish are often contaminated with microplastics and other toxins. The recent food poisoning clusters linked to undercooked clams and raw oysters in Hong Kong highlight the dangers to public health.
“Fish feel pain and terror just like cats and dogs do, and slicing them up and serving them on a plate is just as cruel to them as it is to any other animal,” says PETA Senior Vice President Jason Baker. “The best way to show sea animals appreciation is to leave them in peace, and PETA urges Hong Kong Ocean Park to get marine life off its menus.”
Fish have complex social lives and remarkable cognitive abilities—a review of over 500 studies demonstrates that fish can use tools, recognize their friends, and build structures and that they have long-term memories. When pulled from their underwater homes and left to suffocate, fish suffer in agony just as humans do. A recent study found that fish can experience disabling and even excruciating pain for an average of 10 minutes—and, in some cases, suffer for over an hour—before their brains shut down and they become unconscious.
PETA’s letter to Hong Kong Ocean Park and supporting documentation are available upon request.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone. For more information, please visit PETAAsia.com or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
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