PETA protests against national veterinary association

June 17, 5:21 PMPet Health ExaminerLorie Huston

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PETA is protesting the AVMA plans to offer team-building program featuring famed fish toss.

Once again, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, otherwise known as PETA, are bumping heads with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). This time the fight is over fish tossing.

AVMA plans motivational presentation featuring famed fish tossing demonstration

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) will be hosting its annual convention in July, 2009 in Seattle. As part of the AVMA's convention schedule, a motivational and educational presentation promoting team-building techniques has been planned. The presentation is planned for the convention's opening ceremonies and features the famed fish tossing demonstration provided by the Pike Place Fish Market.

The presentation in question, according to a statement issued by the Executive Board of the AMVA, involves the use of three fish during the show, all three of which are dead.

The Pike Place Fish Market's "flying fish" demonstrations are a popular tourist attraction for the Pike Place Market in Seattle and have been featured in numerious television spots, including in segments highlighting Seattle attractions shown during NFL football games involving the Seattle Seahawks, in an episode of the hit television series Frasier, and in the opening credits for MTV's The Real World: Seattle.

PETA protests fish toss, AVMA presentation

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has presented the AVMA with a letter requesting that the AVMA cancel the fish tossing demonstration on the grounds that the presentation makes the fish appear to be like toys. PETA has also initiated a wide-spread media campaign against the AVMA and the planned presentation. PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk maintains that the use of dead fish in such a presentation is "disrespectful" and PETA calls the action "unacceptable and unethical". PETA recommended the use of rubber fish during the demonstration instead of real fish.

AVMA rejects PETA requests to cancel fish throw

The AVMA Executive Board, after meeting to discuss the situation, has decided to proceed with the fish throwing demonstration and motivational presentation during their convention as planned. In a statement issued to its members, the AVMA Executive Board decided "Although the Pike Place Fish Market program uses three fish during the presentation, they are not alive. The presentation is designed to be motivational and educational, and focuses on team building and developing and maintaining positive workplace attitudes. In addition, Pike Place Fish Market is a cultural icon in Seattle and sets a high standard for community outreach efforts; it was for these reasons the presentation was initially selected as a feature of the Opening Ceremony. It is for these same reasons we reaffirmed our commitment to the presentation."

According to the AVMA Executive Board, the AVMA believes that PETA's protest is an attempt to bring media attention to PETA's campaign against the fishing industry.

PETA plans to picket AMVA convention

In answer to the AVMA's refusal to cancel the Pike Place Fish Market demonstration, PETA has vowed to picket the AVMA convention. This is not the first time PETA has protested an AVMA convention. Nor is it the first time that the AVMA and PETA have disagreed about animal rights issues. At the heart of the clashes are the differences between the AVMA's pledge to animal welfare, which promotes the responsible treatment of animals used for human purposes, and PETA's strict animal rights stance, which opposes any use of animals for human purposes.

For more information: Animal rights versus animal welfare