http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24 ... 21,00.html

A CAMPAIGN to rename fish as "sea kittens" in order to improve their image has been ridiculed by the Federal Opposition.

Outspoken animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is using the "sea kitten" name as part of its push to restrict fishing.

"Nobody would hurt a sea kitten!" the group says on its website.

"People don't seem to like fish.

"We're going to start by retiring the old name for good.

"When your name can also be used as a verb that means driving a hook through your head, it's time for a serious image makeover."

The website features images of fish with cats' whiskers and ears.

PETA is using the campaign to entice people to sign a petition calling on the US Fish and Wildlife Service to stop promoting "the hunting of sea kittens (otherwise known as fishing)"

Opposition fisheries spokesman John Cobb was not impressed with the campaign, nor with PETA.

PETA has offended some in Australia with is high-profile campaign against mulesing, the practice of cutting away the skin from a sheep's rear to prevent flystrike.

Mr Cobb said the group had little credibility.

"It is hard to take an organisation which wants to change the name of fish seriously," he said.

Many people might laugh at the sea kitten campaign, Mr Cobb said, but PETA's agenda was actually more sinister: destroying the meat and fish industries.

PETA has convinced a number of large companies to boycott Australian wool which comes from mulesed flocks.

The group argues mulesing is cruel and there are better ways to prevent flystrike.

Nut jobs.

And I only use that term to improve the image of PETA.

Actually, I like to eat fish a lot, so this campaign of calling fish "sea kittens" is making me wonder if kitten sushi would be good to eat. Or grilled kittens. With lemon. Mmmmmm. Thanks for the suggestion, PETA.

When I take my son fishing, he usually catches catfish. If he hasn't caught one in a while, he'll call out "Here kitty kitty kitty".

PETA got to him early...

So if your only source of food is fish, PETA wants you to starve...

As Zod intended.

I think Sea-Kitten should be a singular AND a plural noun.

But I'm still not going to eat them, no matter how tasty PETA makes 'em sound.

Makes sense. Many fish species names are treated the same.

If they congregate, would they be considered a school of Sea-Kitten?

This strategy can back fire. Look what happened to clown fish after Finding Nemo came out. Suddenly everyone wanted one of the cute fishies in their tank and the wild population was plundered for home aquariums.

Cute does not equal protected.

And look at all the homeless cute kitties in shelters. Or the ones put in burlap bags and drowned. Or taken to the country and dumped.

These PETA people are becoming parodies of themselves.

"As PETA is my witness, I thought kittens could swim!"

hahhaaaahahahaaaaa

Probably easier to find kittens these days than burlap sacks.

So true.

Right! Just like Paris Hilton.

Exactly, I hated when they added Scrappy Doo to Scooby Doo Mysteries. Puppy Power my ass...

The wild Dalmation population has yet to recover.

I just heard on Howie Carr that PETA is also trying to get schools that have "fish" in their name to change it to "sea-kitten" as well.



If PETA called anyone at these schools - or their respective state legislatures - I hope whoever took the call answered them back by laughing heartily at them.

What about the Sea Monkeys? Has anyone asked them how they feel about all this?