Fish-tossers could end up throwing rubber

SEATTLE – A national veterinary association says it might use rubber fish instead of real ones if it goes through with a fish-throwing demonstration at its convention next month, following complaints from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Ron DeHaven, chief executive of the American Veterinary Medical Association, based in Schaumburg, Ill., said his organization thought having one of Seattle’s top tourist attractions – the fish-throwers at the Pike Place Fish Market – come to the event would be a great “team-building experience.”

But after PETA raised concerns about the ethics of using dead fish as props at a veterinary event, DeHaven said the AVMA would explore other options, including an alternative PETA suggested: using rubber fish.

“If there is criticism that we’re being disrespectful, we need to be sensitive to those concerns,” DeHaven said Tuesday.

PETA sent a letter earlier in the day urging the organization to cancel the event.

“When the fish used in these ‘tosses’ are pulled up from the depths of the ocean, they undergo the excruciating pain of decompression,” the letter said. “The intense pressure often ruptures their swim bladders and damages other internal organs. Then the fish slowly suffocate or are bludgeoned to death. Others are still alive when they are cut open.

The fish toss celebrates cruelty to marine animals.

“Surely the AVMA would not describe an event as ‘fun, educational and inspiring’ if the animals being tossed around were lambs, hamsters, or cats,” it continued.

The letter said that if the organization must throw fish, PETA would gladly pay for rubber fish to replace the real ones.

The sellers at the Pike Place Fish Market draw crowds when they sell a fish – typically a large salmon or steelhead – and heave it across a counter, where a fishwrapper catches and packages it.

An assistant manager there, Justin Hall, said workers sometimes give demonstrations to groups to share their enthusiasm for their work.

“We respect fish. We respect seafood. This gives us our livelihood,” he said. “We take pride in having the best.”