Video: Heartbreaking Footage of Youth Fishing Derby

“It’s
still trying to move. It’s trying to breathe. Will
it live?”

That’s
the question asked by a worried child after catching a small fish during the Youth
Fishing Derby at Lake Fairfax Park in Reston, Virginia.

A video shot by a PETA investigator at the
tournament shows small fish with hooks impaled in their mouths writhing in fear and pain.
The children, who obviously had no idea what they were in
for, looked
sad, confused, and concerned. Despite the fact that the children are assured that the fish
“should” survive, fish who were thrown back into the lake are shown
bleeding from their wounds and floating lifeless in the water.

It is estimated that up to 58 percent of fish die within six days of being
released. In addition to the
stress of being impaled by a hook and slowly suffocating while they are out of
the water, fish become more prone to bacterial infections and parasite
infestations after they are handled and the delicate protective coating on
their scales is damaged, often irreparably.

Armed with this video evidence of
both cruelty to fish and the distress it causes children, we have written once again to the Fairfax County
Park Authority and asked it to make its latest Youth Fishing Derby, which took
place last
Saturday, its last and ban
future youth fishing tournaments in all Fairfax County parks.

What You Can Do

Please
share this video on Facebook and urge your friends not to teach their kids that it’s “fun”
to hurt animals. Instead of fishing, get kids hooked on animal-friendly sports, such as hiking,
biking, swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, sailing, and much more!