Give Bass a Break! PETA Asks Eufaula to Display Fish Empathy Quilt in Honor of Feisty Fish Leroy Brown

For Immediate Release:
September 5, 2024

Contact:
Maddy Missett

Today, ahead of Fish Amnesty Day (September 28) and in memory of Leroy Brown, a legendary local fish for whom there’s a monument downtown reading, “Most Bass Are Just Fish. But Leroy Brown Was Something Special,” PETA sent a letter to Eufaula Mayor Jack B. Tibbs Jr. offering to donate the group’s Fish Empathy Quilt for the city to display to remind everyone that all fish are someone special. PETA’s first-of-its-kind quilt would add context to the inscription on Leroy’s monument, pointing out that every fish is a sentient individual who will fight for their life when hooked on a fishing line.

The Fish Empathy Quilt has made a splash nationwide, including during a monthlong stay at Eureka City Hall in California. If Eufaula agrees to be the quilt’s next stop, PETA will arrange for a delivery of delicious fish-free meals and a visit from the group’s costumed mascot Tiffany Tuna who could hand out free coloring books to children and copies of What a Fish Knows by Jonathan Balcombe to adults at the unveiling.

“While PETA doesn’t doubt that Leroy was special, every fish is a unique individual who feels pain and fear and values their own life just as much as the angler trying to hook them values theirs,” says PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA hopes Eufaula will embrace the kind message of this quilt and help tip the scales toward compassion for the billions of aquatic animals killed each year in the fishing industry.”

The Fish Empathy Quilt measures more than 300 square feet and is composed of over 100 unique, handcrafted squares from PETA members and supporters, including cartoonist Harry Bliss and oceanographic explorer and film producer Jean-Michel Cousteau.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. The group’s free vegan starter kit is filled with tips to help anyone looking to make the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Tibbs follows.

September 5, 2024

The Honorable Jack B. Tibbs Jr.

Mayor of Eufaula

Dear Mayor Tibbs:

I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—PETA entities have more than 9 million members and supporters, including many thousands across Alabama—with a suggestion that would show everyone that Eufaula is friendly to more than just one famous fish: In honor of Fish Amnesty Day on September 28 and in memory of Leroy Brown, we would love to loan our thought-provoking Fish Empathy Quilt to you to display at City Hall in order to remind residents and visitors that all fish are special. The quilt would offer an alternative point of view to that of the monument for Leroy, which declares that “most bass are just fish.” The quilt has been well received and has already made quite a splash in towns from California to Alaska. Allow me to elaborate.

We have no doubt that Leroy was special, but reely, every fish is as unique as he was and they all deserve to be spared needless harassment and harm. We now have studies showing that fish are all smart, sensitive individuals who can recognize themselves in mirrors and even photographs, count and tell time, retain memories, and think ahead. They have unique personalities, can recall human faces, and may even have a sense of humor! There is absolutely no doubt that they feel fear and pain, especially when they’re chased, hooked through their sensitive lips—which are full of nerve endings—yanked out of the water, and left to suffocate slowly. More and more people are realizing that fish don’t deserve to be seen as swimming vegetables and treated cruelly. PETA’s Fish Empathy Quilt beautifully reflects this awareness.

The quilt is a vibrant, creative depiction of marine life. It features more than 100 unique squares contributed by individuals from around the world, including some famous ones—for example, cartoonist Harry Bliss and French oceanographer Jean-Michel Cousteau. Collectively, they’ve created an artwork that continues to grow as people’s sensitivity to the plight of animals increases. It consists of six sections of varying dimensions, which can be displayed separately or clipped together as one large exhibit (over 300 square feet).

Fish Amnesty Day was established more than 25 years ago to remind people that all animals deserve compassion and respect, regardless of whether they have fur or fins or whether they are cats or catfish. As an organization that’s known to have a “big mouth,” we want to ensure that Leroy’s memory enhances human understanding of animals. We’d be happy to offer delicious fish-free meals at the unveiling and even a visit from our mascot Tiffany Tuna, who could hand out free coloring books and crayons to children and copies of What a Fish Knows,a wonderful book by Jonathan Balcombe, to adults. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your consideration.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid Newkirk

President