October 15, 2007
OKLAHOMA – The Oklahoma City Council upheld a law barring the artificial coloring of fish this week.
The law was challenged after a pet store owner who was found selling fish with “I love you” tattooed on their scales.
The fish came from Quality Pets of Oklahoma. Company owner Don Fleming said his fish are dyed using the same techniques as the major chains – like Petco, PetSmart and Wal-Mart – which involves injecting the color into the fish or dying them in a dye bath.
Fleming says he was forced to relinquish about $1,700 in fish. So he went to Oklahoma City Councilman Gary Marrs to have the law challenged.
That's when Cynthia Armstrong, state director of the Humane Society of the United States stepped in.
Armstrong contends that artificial coloring is inhumane – whether by dying or injection. She also said that even dye baths – which are legal – are damaging because the fish drink the chemicals. This can lead to high mortality rates and weakened immune systems for those that survive.
But Fleming disagrees with that level of severity. Unfortunately, there's no definitive research on the subject to tip the scales in either direction.
City Councilman Pat Ryan was the sole objector to the compromise – which would continue to allow dye baths. That's because its difficult to tell what method was used for coloring.
But the other seven council members decided to maintain the compromise. That's because Quality Pets employs 115 people – and taking those jobs away is not in the city's best interest.
法院规定禁止对鱼类进行纹身
