If you are leaving meat off your plate during Lent, please extend your compassion to fish too by not eating them.

People of all faiths surely agree that cruelty to animals violates their religious principles, yet fish suffer horribly before they reach our dinner tables. When fish are dragged out of their ocean homes in huge nets (along with "non-target" victims such as dolphins and turtles), their gills often collapse, their eyes bulge out of their heads, and their swim bladders burst because of the sudden pressure change. Farmed fish suffer from stress, infections, and parasites as a result of crowded, filthy, and unnatural living conditions.

Fish are intelligent animals with impressive long-term memories and complex social relationships. They "talk" to one another underwater, use tool, and learn by watching what other fish do.

Christians are taught that we should not just "give up" something during Lent but that we should also "give back" something to the world. Leaving fish and other animal products off our plates during Lent and beyond is a simple way to honor God's animals, the Earth and our fellow humans.

For free vegan recipes, please visit PETA.org .


The PETA Foundation, Norfolk, Va.