Photo of fish tank on Broome & Mott Streets in Chinatown via jankor's flickr
The San Francisco Animal Control & Welfare Commission is suggesting a citywide ban on goldfish sales, with a rep explaining, "Most fish in aquariums are either mass bred under inhumane conditions or taken from the wild. That leads to devastation of tropical fish from places like Southeast Asia." Plus, that ping pong ball goldfish game at fairs always did seem a little bit cruel.
The proposal is all part of the commission's push for a pet sale ban in the city, which previously didn't include goldfish, but did include hamsters and other small pets. The goal is to prevent "impulse buys," and to make it harder for puppy and kitten mills to supply pet stores.
We contacted the Humane Society of the U.S. to find out if this is something that may go nationwide, but they were unaware of a proposed goldfish plan; we'll update if they have any further comment after looking into it.
