An Orange County animal-rights activist, moved by the death of hundreds of fish in a freeway big-rig crash last month, asked the city of Irvine to post a memorial sign at the scene of the accident and was promptly smacked down.

Dina Kourda, on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), wants a sign that says: “In memory of hundreds of fish who suffered and died at this spot,” to mark the location where a truck carrying 1,600 pounds of live saltwater bass crashed into two vehicles on October 11, breaking open several tanks and spilling their contents onto the road.

“Research tells us that fish use tools, tell time, sing, and have impressive long-term memories and complex social structures, yet fish used for food are routinely crushed, impaled, cut open, and gutted, all while still conscious,” Kourda wrote the city in her  letter pleading for the memorial.

Noting that the fish died a slow, suffocating death in the road, she said the memorial would also serve as a general safety reminder for passing drivers and “remind tractor-trailer drivers of their responsibility to the thousands of animals who are hauled to their deaths every day.”

Craig Reem, a spokesman for Irvine who told the Los Angeles Times he had no idea how the city dealt with such requests, said it would not be putting up a sign, which would have been the first in the state in recognition of dead fish.

“I do think it’s fair to say we have no plans to erect a memorial,” he said.

–Ken Broder

To Learn More:

PETA Wants Memorial Where Fish Died in Irvine Car Crash (by Nicole Santa Cruz, Los Angeles Times)

PETA Wants Sign to Memorialize Fish Killed in Crash (by Alejandra Molina, Orange County Register)

Fish Memorial Proposed for Hundreds of Bass Killed in Traffic Accident (by Lisa Brenner, KPCC)