‘I’m ME, Not MEAT’ Fish Ad Now Up in Dallas
New PETA Billboard Urges People to Keep Aquatic Animals off Their Plates and Go Vegan
For Immediate Release:
November 27, 2018
Contact:
Audrey Shircliff 202-483-7382
Several fish-serving restaurants in downtown Dallas are in for a sea change, as PETA has placed an ad nearby showing a fish swimming underwater next to the words “I’m ME, Not MEAT. See the Individual. Go Vegan” in order to inform people that it’s not just cows who suffer in “cattle country.”
The ad is located near the intersection of S. Pearl Street and Pacific Avenue in downtown Dallas—near Dallas Fish Market, Top’s Seafood and Burger, Rex’s Seafood and Market, and St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin—and will remain up through mid-December.
“Just like humans, fish feel pain and fear and value their own lives—and they deserve our compassion,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA hopes this ad will inspire people to show fish some goodwill by choosing hearty and delicious vegan meals.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Texas is the number four catfish-producing state in the country. Half of all fish consumed worldwide each year spend their lives in cramped, filthy enclosures on commercial fish farms and commonly suffer from parasite infections, diseases, debilitating injuries, and severe depression. Wild-caught fish slowly suffocate or are crushed to death when they’re dragged from the oceans in huge nets, and the throats and stomachs of those who survive are cut open on the decks of fishing boats. More fish are killed for food each year than all other animals combined, yet they have no legal protection from abuse.
Going vegan spares other animals suffering, too: In today’s meat and dairy industries, chickens’ throats are cut while they’re still conscious, piglets are castrated without painkillers, and mother cows are separated from their beloved babies shortly after birth. Vegans are also less prone to suffering from heart disease, obesity, cancer, and diabetes than meat-eaters are.
PETA offers a free vegan starter kit full of recipes, tips, and more. For more information, please visit PETA.org.