PETA to Manila Ocean Park: Please Don’t Eat the Fish!

PETA to Manila 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

Manila — 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 Puah Kim Aun, vice president of operations and performance for Manila Ocean Park. 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.

Manila Ocean Park serves milkfish, groupers, squid, and shrimp at its restaurants—species who are also featured in the park’s exhibits—in stark contrast to its stated mission of fostering appreciation for marine life. 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. According to a joint report by the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization, mining operations in over 20 provinces have dumped approximately 140 tons of mercury into Southern Philippine waterways, contaminating local fish populations. The flesh may also carry other toxins such as lead, arsenic, PCBs, pesticides, and even fire retardant.

“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 Manila 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 Manila Ocean Park and supporting documentation are available upon request.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone. For more information, please visit PETAAsia.com or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

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