Fish in a barrel

Last week the folks at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) aimed a shot at the heart of Minnesota. PETA is striking up a “fish empathy project.” As Jack Paar used to say, I kid you not. They requested Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty to declare walleye off limits for Minnesota anglers, likening the cognitive ability of the fish to that of dogs and cats, and comparing fishing to hooking a dog and dragging the dog behind a car. I kid you not again. What about us trout? Apparently we’ll have to wait for PETA’s attention.
Governor Pawlenty has issued a press release (PDF) responding to PETA’s request. In it he defends Minnesotans’ love of fishing and declares that he’s goin’ fish-eating. He announced that in response to PETA’s request he took his family out to eat a walleye dinner. So PETA seems a little off base. Can we at least agree that shooting fish in a barrel is cruel? (Thanks to reader David Berdass and Beltway Young Republicans.)

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