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Investigation Reveals Catfish Skinned Alive, Dismembered While Conscious
by Annie Hartnett January 20, 2011 04:00 PM (PT) Topics: Animal Abuse, Factory Farming
Mercy For Animals recently conducted an undercover investigation at Catfish Corner, a fish slaughter facility in Mesquite, Texas. The name of the facility might be charming, but the undercover video footage is anything but.
The two minute video was filmed by hidden camera. It documents workers using pliers to pull the skin off of live fish. The skinned fish flail on the cutting table, obviously in agony. Workers are shown tearing off the heads of live fish, slicing them down the middle, and cutting off their fins. These fish were not stunned or rendered unconscious before they were dismembered.
Fish get the short end of the stick in animal welfare, due to the pervasive myth that fish don't feel pain. Nationwide, there is not a single federal law to protect fish from abuse. It is now well-documented that fish feel pain analogous to that of other animals, and fish should be protected accordingly.
Upon reviewing MFA's undercover footage, veterinarian Lee Schrader condemned the fishing facility: "To subject fish to an obviously painful procedure such as the removal of their skin, while they are alive and responsive, is cruel, inhumane and without excuse."
Mesquite, Texas isn't exactly a coastal town, so the catfish on the video didn't enjoy any sort of natural life before their scales were peeled off. Catfish Corner is an aquaculture facility, which is essentially a fish factory farm. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 80 percent of farm-raised fish are catfish, and Texas is a leading catfish producer.
The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office has declined to file animal cruelty charges, since Catfish Corner isn't breaking current law. There are more than 150 aquaculture facilities like Catfish Corner in Texas, and the state needs to protect fish from this unnecessary and outrageous suffering.
Sign the petition to demand that the state of Texas introduces legislation to prohibit skinning fish alive.
by Annie Hartnett January 20, 2011 04:00 PM (PT) Topics: Animal Abuse, Factory Farming
Mercy For Animals recently conducted an undercover investigation at Catfish Corner, a fish slaughter facility in Mesquite, Texas. The name of the facility might be charming, but the undercover video footage is anything but.
The two minute video was filmed by hidden camera. It documents workers using pliers to pull the skin off of live fish. The skinned fish flail on the cutting table, obviously in agony. Workers are shown tearing off the heads of live fish, slicing them down the middle, and cutting off their fins. These fish were not stunned or rendered unconscious before they were dismembered.
Fish get the short end of the stick in animal welfare, due to the pervasive myth that fish don't feel pain. Nationwide, there is not a single federal law to protect fish from abuse. It is now well-documented that fish feel pain analogous to that of other animals, and fish should be protected accordingly.
Upon reviewing MFA's undercover footage, veterinarian Lee Schrader condemned the fishing facility: "To subject fish to an obviously painful procedure such as the removal of their skin, while they are alive and responsive, is cruel, inhumane and without excuse."
Mesquite, Texas isn't exactly a coastal town, so the catfish on the video didn't enjoy any sort of natural life before their scales were peeled off. Catfish Corner is an aquaculture facility, which is essentially a fish factory farm. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 80 percent of farm-raised fish are catfish, and Texas is a leading catfish producer.
The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office has declined to file animal cruelty charges, since Catfish Corner isn't breaking current law. There are more than 150 aquaculture facilities like Catfish Corner in Texas, and the state needs to protect fish from this unnecessary and outrageous suffering.
Sign the petition to demand that the state of Texas introduces legislation to prohibit skinning fish alive.
Stevo
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