"The showboats go for the toilet."
Another venerable Florida tradition is under attack — this time the down-home sport of throwing dead mullet at targets that include washtubs, wheelbarrows and even toilet bowls.
The popular fish-toss competition at Saturday's 13th annual Mullet Smoke-Off fundraiser at Seabreeze Park on Manatee County's Terra Ceia Island recently caught the attention of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Cavorting with fish carcasses so offended their sensibilities they sent a letter of formal complaint to the organizers.
"If it would be wrong to make a game out of tossing dead kittens and puppies into a toilet, then it's wrong to do it with fish,'' scolded PETA vice president Trace Reiman. "Terra Ceia could easily toss horseshoes, bean bags or bocce balls instead of the bodies of animals who have been pulled from their homes and suffocated to death.''
Thus the fish scales began flying.
"Really, I'm surprised PETA would come after us,'' said Melissa Langdon, who organizes the festival to raise money for community improvements. "You'd think they'd have other, more important things to deal with.''
Read more at the St. Petersburg Times.