School of Fish Swarms Against Cruelty in Suffolk, VA

Compassion Over Killing’s mermaid and her fish friends swarmed a Virginia seafood plant that is reportedly producing salmon for Martha Stewart in protest of the cruelty we uncovered at a hatchery owned by parent company Cooke Aquaculture.

Earlier this month, COK’s undercover investigation documented egregious cruelty to salmon at a hatchery for Cooke Aquaculture, parent of True North–which recently teamed up with homemaking icon Martha Stewart for her new salmon line. The horrifying footage uncovers violence, including employees stomping on and slamming fish on the ground, fish being left in buckets to be crushed or suffocated to death, and filthy living conditions, representing the reality of today’s aquaculture industry.

COK recently confronted Martha Stewart at a home show in Scottsdale, where she refused to comment, stating only: “I’m not talking about that.” Meanwhile, Cooke Aquaculture claims it is going to retrain hatchery staff, but no meaningful actions have been taken to put an end to the systemic cruelty we exposed.

Wanchese’s Suffolk, Virginia, plant (owned by Cooke) has been reported to be producing Martha Stewart’s True North line for sale in local grocery stores. So, COK’s mermaid and her fish friends protested the Suffolk processing plant yesterday, with signs reading, “Torture Is Not an Ingredient” and “Martha Stewart: Get Hooked on Vegan Seafood.” Demonstrators received many honks and waves, highlighting how consumers are recognizing the cruelty in the murky seafood industry.

Make waves for fish: Help us keep up the pressure with a quick and polite comment on Martha Stewart’s most recent Facebook post!