Animal welfare group PETA has written to Aberaeron Yacht Club proposing to replace the town's traditional Mackerel Fiesta with a plant-based Cabbage Fiesta celebrating Welsh produce.
PETA's proposal
The annual event, held at the end of August, features a large papier-mâché mackerel paraded through the streets before being burnt on the beach at sunset. PETA has suggested swapping the fish effigy for a giant papier-mâché cabbage and has volunteered to supply it.
In a letter to Lloyd Thomas, president of Aberaeron Yacht Club, PETA urged him to "let fish off the hook and transform the Aberaeron Mackerel Fiesta into a kinder event celebrating Welsh produce." The letter states that "fish suffer immensely when they're pierced by hooks through their delicate faces" and argues that "celebrating life-giving plant produce rather than fish slaughter would be more in line with the compassion and warmth Wales is known for."
Local response
County councillor Elizabeth Evans responded, saying the festival is "a celebration of a fish which has been in our local waters for generations" and "a festival of gratitude and respect." She noted that fishing has declined dramatically in the bay and that "we do not have a single fishing boat in Aberaeron now, that is a matter of regret not celebration."
Evans added that Cardigan Bay is not over-fished and that local boat owners fish sustainably. She said: "Fishing is part of our heritage in Aberaeron, the growing of cabbages is not." She acknowledged PETA's views but said they do not reflect the community's "lived experience," which is "one of respect not entitlement."
Aberaeron Yacht Club has been contacted for comment regarding the proposal.
