WTF is a Sea Kitten?

I'm sure many of you have already heard of this, thanks to the Colbert Report and about a half million other mocking articles on PETA's latest stupidity.

Look, I'm all for everyone getting away from animal based foods, but there are so many other ways to get people to give up fish. If the basic ethical argument ("there's no reason to kill animals in order to eat a healthy diet") doesn't work, they could try any of these:

-Remind them that fish are not inspected on a "carcass by carcass" basis like quadrupeds and poultry. Less than 10% of fresh fish actually gets inspected.

-Remind them about the mercury content in seafood - The FDA's newest guidelines recommend that women who are pregnant or who may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children should avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury. Low mercury types of fish and shellfish should be limited to two servings per week. (I don't know about you, but I'd just as soon not eat ANYthing laced with mercury, thanks...)

-Point out that commercial fishing snares many species that aren't eaten. These creatures, known as "by-catch" include dolphins, sea turtles, and hundreds of "non-target" species. Although the by-catch is tossed back in the ocean, many of them are damaged by handling and don't survive. Commercial marine fisheries in the U.S. alone toss away up to 20 billion pounds of by-catch each year--twice the commercial and recreational catch combined.

Instead of all this, PETA - the same folks who years ago threw paint on fur coats, and more recently brought us the Lettuce Ladies and Broccoli Boys - has decided that people would be less likely to eat fish if they were called "sea kittens."

This kind of nonsense is just more proof to the omnivores of the world that vegetarians and vegans are wackos. Thanks PETA - as if being a vegan in Wyoming, isn't hard enough already...