PETA Urges Aberaeron Mackerel Fiesta to Turn Over a New Leaf With ‘Cabbage Fiesta’

Aberaeron, Wales – Ahead of Aberaeron’s annual Mackerel Fiesta (29 August), PETA has sent a letter to Lloyd Thomas, president of Aberaeron Yacht Club, with a suggestion to help organisers turn over a new leaf: Swap fish-focused festivities for an animal-friendly celebration of Welsh produce with the “Aberaeron Cabbage Fiesta”. They’ve also offered to provide organisers with a giant papier-mâché cruciferous vegetable to replace the fiesta’s traditional mackerel effigy.

In the letter (available here), PETA points out that fish are intelligent, sensitive animals who can feel pain, fear, and stress and argues that celebrating vegetables rather than catching and killing fish would better reflect the compassion Wales is known for.

A high-resolution image can be downloaded here.

“Fish aren’t swimming vegetables – they’re thinking, feeling individuals who experience pain and fear just as we do,” says PETA Vice President of Vegan Projects Dawn Carr. “By celebrating Welsh-grown produce instead of hauling sensitive animals from the sea, Aberaeron could create a fiesta that’s kinder, greener, and rooted in a more compassionate future.”

Fish share knowledge, have long memories, and maintain cultural traditions. Yet they’re impaled, crushed, suffocated, or cut open and gutted by the billion – often while they’re completely conscious. In addition, 38 million tonnes of other aquatic animals are unintentionally caught each year as the fishing industry seeks to meet consumer demand. Every person who goes vegan saves the lives of nearly 200 animals each year. PETA’s free vegan starter kit can help anyone thinking of making the switch.

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” – points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a fish is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow PETA on Facebook, X, TikTok, or Instagram.

Contact:

Lucy Watson +44 (0) 20 7837 6327; [email protected]

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