Twenty-six-year-old Winnipeg resident Kimber Dilay knows that fish are intelligent, intriguing animals who deserve protection, and she wants everyone else to know it too. That's why Dilay submitted two of the 100 artful squares that make up PETA's brand-new, 300-square-foot "Fish Empathy Quilt," which is currently touring the U.S. with its powerful message that fish--just like all other animals--feel pain and shouldn't be violently killed for food, hooked for "sport," or cruelly confined to aquariums.

Dilay's first square, entitled "Fish Are Friends, Not Food," conveys the message that fish belong only in their natural homes. The second, which she named "Goldfish Liberation," is a tribute to her companion fish and how remarkably intelligent they were. Although she went angling as a child with her grandfather, Dilay abruptly quit when she realized that her actions were causing fish to suffer. Because she could no longer distinguish between the animals she loved and the ones on her plate, Dilay went vegetarian at age 13 and went vegan two years ago.

When they are dragged from the ocean's depths, fish undergo excruciating decompression. Many slowly suffocate or are crushed to death on ships' decks. Fish on fish farms spend their entire lives confined to cramped, filthy tanks before being violently killed. "Sport" fishing also causes suffering. Besides enduring the pain caused by hooks, a high percentage of fish caught in catch-and-release tournaments die within a matter of days. Fish and Fisheries has cited more than 500 research papers on fish intelligence that prove that fish can use tools and have impressive long-term memories and sophisticated social structures.

Says PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich, "Thanks to caring and talented people like Kimber, our Fish Empathy Quilt combines art with compassion to spread the message that harming these fascinating animals is every bit as unacceptable as abusing cats, dogs, or any other animals."


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