Photo courtesy Katie Doner katiedonerphotography.com
On Saturday, March third, the nation erupted in a flurry of fishy flash mobs, when eight cities across the country hit the streets, grocery stores, and beaches in protest of Chicken of the Seas destructive fishing methods. Signs like Make FADs a Passing Fad and die-ins demonstrating the incidental catch of sharks, turtles and seabirds highlighted the fishing practices that are devastating ocean ecosystems. Watch this video to see how Chicken of the Sea catches tuna:FADs and Long-lines: Two Dirty Little Secrets.
In New York City, twelve activists stood frozen in Madison Square Park holding signs with messages including Unsustainable Fishing is Unacceptable and Chicken of the Sea Needs to Stop Destroying our Oceans. Passersby whipped out their smart phones to look up the company and find out more from websites like tunasecrets.com.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, a stoic procession marched down 3rd Street Promenade, a bustling outdoor mall, to the Santa Monica Pier, where families and couples enjoying a Saturday morning were met with a line of activists holding red and white signs and standing at the waters edge. A giant banner made a straightforward point: Chicken of the Sea Destroys Oceans. They stood in place for fifteen minutes while beachgoers snapped photos and rethought their weekly shopping lists.
In Orange County, we organized a group of thirteen activists to go to the Irvine Spectrum, an outdoor shopping mall, and stage a bycatch die-in overshadowed by an evil, cackling mermaid. We got a lot of curious stares but also turned a lot of heads. Even though our action lasted for only a few minutes, knowing that Chicken of the Sea would feel the reverberations of cities across the country coming together, we knew those minutes would be powerful.
Other participating cities were Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, San Jose and San Diego, where Chicken of the Seas corporate headquarters are located.
Its time for Chicken of the Sea to stop its greenwashing campaign and commit to fishing sustainably so that we can have tuna not just today and tomorrow, but into the future. Sign thispetitionto show your support.
