PETA posters ‘attack’ lobster fishing in Bridlington stirring debate on veganism in coastal towns across Yorkshire

Three advertising posters by PETA have been placed in Bridlington to inspire residents to go vegan.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have placed new advertisements across the seafront in Bridlington with hopes to inspire people to think twice next time they eat lobster.

The poster shows an unusual image of a puppy head combined with a lobster body, alongside the words: “If you wouldn’t eat your dog, why would you eat a lobster? Both feel pain. Go vegan.”

Three posters have been up for only a week and already one has been vandalised, which shows that the posters are not sitting well with many residents of the town.

Bridlington is a historic fishing town and has been dubbed ‘the lobster capital of Europe’. A lot of the town’s heritage is enmeshed with the fishing industry.

Therefore the backlash towards these controversial posters is not surprising.

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Jo Ackers, Independent Shellfish Co-operative, said in an interview with the BBC that: “It has been designed to be an attack but in essence it isn’t- it is a poster, a bit of propaganda.

“A new act was passed in parliament that crustaceans are sentient beings and they can feel distress and possibly pain- so the industry is in the process of developing codes of practice.

“We were already doing everything that they have developed, because we don’t want to see the animals suffer anymore than anybody else does.”

However, PETA has justified their controversial posters by arguing that lobsters feel pain and should not be treated any differently to our beloved pet dogs.

PETA has said via their website: “Most people would never dream of boiling a dog to death in a pot of scalding hot water, but it’s just as cruel to boil a lobster to death.

“It’s time to challenge speciesist beliefs and recognise that lobsters deserve as much consideration as the dogs and other animals we share our homes with.

“Lobsters are not ours to exploit, and we have no right to put them through all this pain and suffering for a fleeting moment of taste.”

Bridlington already has a number of vegan friendly restaurants and eateries, which shows there is a market for plant based food in the seaside town.

However, by placing these posters in a town that is so passionate about its fishing industry and its history, it is debatable whether PETA will change any minds.

Contact [email protected] to have your say about the PETA posters.