PETA suggest a replacement for fishermen memorial statue

The city of Eureka’s “The Fisherman” statue caught the attention of PETA.

In an letter to the city, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called for the replacement of the statue. They want to replace it with one of their own.

“We’ve been turning our eyes to other art displays across the country that are maybe not so positive things for animals including things that glorify industries that are killing animals including the fishing industry,” PETA campaign manager Amber Canavan said.

Fishermen’s Marketing Association president Travis Hunter responded to the letter.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous and it’s a slap in the face to those families of people that were lost at sea.”

PETA says the suggested replacement statue, “Fintastic Fish,” would be made of discarded fish gear to reflect the impact of commercial fishing industry.

In their letter, PETA included an artist rendering of the prospective statue, but learned the statue in question hasn’t been created yet.

“We’re definitely looking for all opportunities to bring public art into that sphere where it’s also doing that service of educating people about these important issues,” Canavan said.

The Fisherman’s statue has been here since 1981, paying homage to those lost at sea.

The Commercial Fishermen’s Wives of Humboldt sponsored the memorial that carries the inscription “to those whom the sea sustained – and also claimed.”

The memorial lists the names of fishermen killed or lost at sea from 1951 to 2018.

In her response letter to peta, mayor kim bergel said that while they are open to collaboration, the city would not remove the statue.

“I just want to show strong support for our fishermen,” Eureka Mayor Kim Bergel said. “They’ve been here forever. Obviously, it’s been the livelihood and I’ve known a lot of friends who have lost family members out there, so I think that the memorial is a beautiful tribute to that.”