PETA Objects to the University of Chattanooga Fishing

646 lbs. Catfish Caught In Thailand

PETA on Wednesday sent a letter to UTC Chancellor Roger Brown calling on him to give the school fishing team the hook.

In the letter, PETA said numerous studies "show that fish are intelligent animals who feel pain just as all animals do. Fish live in groups with social hierarchies, form bonds and cooperate with other fish, use tools, remember things for up to three months, and even can tell time."

"Sanctioning the maiming and killing of fish for 'sport' sends the message that violence toward others is acceptable," said PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "If people impaled dogs or cats in the mouth and dragged them into an environment in which the animals couldn't breathe, they would be charged with cruelty to animals."

Here is the PETA letter to Chancellor Brown:

September 15, 2010

Roger G. Brown, Chancellor
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

1 page via fax: 205-975-8505

Dear Dr. Brown:

I am writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 2 million members and supporters—including thousands across Tennessee—to urge you to eliminate the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga–sponsored fishing team, the Mocs Bass Anglers, because of the suffering that fishing causes to animals and the dangerous message it sends to students.

Fishing is a blood sport that causes immense physical and psychological suffering: Fish have particularly sensitive mouths and lips that they use in much the same way that we use our hands. Removing a hook from a fish's mouth often results in painful injuries, which can easily become infected. Studies show that fish who are caught and thrown back into the water ("catch-and-release" fishing) often die from their injuries. Those who are kept by anglers usually slowly suffocate to death. If cats or dogs were the victims of similar abuse, the perpetrators could be thrown in jail for cruelty to animals. A lack of understanding and knowledge about fish allows this cruelty to continue.

There is overwhelming scientific evidence that fish feel pain. The journal Fish and Fisheries cited more than 500 research papers on fish intelligence and concluded that fish are intelligent animals with sophisticated social structures. Dr. Donald Broom, scientific advisor to the British government, has said, "The scientific literature is quite clear. Anatomically, physiologically, and biologically, the pain system in fish is virtually the same as in birds and mammals."

The only lesson that fishing teaches students is that violence is acceptable when it is directed toward those who look different or are smaller and weaker than us. Many positive, cruelty-free club sports are available at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, such as baseball, rowing, and scuba diving. I hope that you will make the compassionate decision to end the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's affiliation with the needlessly violent activity of fishing. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President

[Story from  www.chattanoogan.com]