After Coney Island Shark Sighting, PETA To Fly Provocative Anti-Fishing Banner

By Matt Tracy

A shark sighting near the Steeplechase Pier in Coney Island on Tuesday has prompted local animal rights activists to send a clear warning to fishers: leave the fish alone!

PETA will fly a banner along the Coney Island coast on Saturday between noon and 1pm, when beaches are expected to be crowded, and when temperatures are expected to reach 100 degrees.

The language on the banner will be sure to draw attention: “Keep Hookers off the Pier — No Fishing!”

“Fishing isn’t fun or funny—it’s a blood sport that causes aquatic animals to suffer when they’re impaled, hauled up out of the water, and gutted to death,” PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement. “PETA’s banner is a reminder that the best way to protect swimmers, human or not, is to leave fish alone.”

The sharks seen swimming in the area earlier this week were basking sharks, which are known to be harmless to humans but are dwindling in population. Nevertheless, officials still decided to temporarily close the beaches out of caution. The beaches reportedly re-opened later that day.