Will Scottish Fishing Industry Workers Become Kelp Farmers?

Will Scottish Fishing Industry Workers Become Kelp Farmers?

PETA Is Offering Workers a Chance to Reinvent Themselves in a Non-Violent Profession

Scotland – Following reports that Scotland’s fishing industry is struggling for business – amid Brexit pressures and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic – PETA has sent a letter to James Withers, chief executive of Scotland Food & Drink, with an animal- and planet-friendly suggestion: farm kelp.

In the letter (available here), PETA points out that kelp is not only a popular superfood, containing high amounts of iodine and vitamin K , but also easier on the environment than commercial fishing is. Macroalgae , such as kelp, already play an important role in reducing the effects of climate change – as kelp forests are known to be a greater carbon sink than woodlands. They also restore ocean ecosystems, acting like a rainforest canopy to offer a home to marine life.

“As the Scottish export market for sea animals dries up, it’s time to explore new opportunities,” writes PETA Senior Corporate Liaison Dr Carys Bennet. “To aid the transition to a kinder, greener future, PETA is on hand to kelp cover some of the costs of re-training fishing industry workers to become seaweed growers and producers.”

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” and which opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview – notes that today’s fishing industry kills millions of “non-target” animals every year in addition to the intended targets of fish, who are often crushed to death or gutted alive on the decks of fishing boats.

The group further notes that delicious fish-free fish fingersvegan fish fillets, vegan prawns, and seaweed snacks – including seaweed “bacon”, crisps, and nori sheets – are all readily available in UK supermarkets.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.

Contact:

Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327; [email protected]

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