When is a fish not a fish? When it’s a ‘sea kitten’ apparently.

According to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), people don’t like fish – as pets anyway. This largely stems from not being part of the routine lives of most people. If we can’t see it, touch it, then why value it?

Just recently, PETA launched a new campaign to change the public perspective on fish, by renaming them ‘sea kittens’. Huh? Now this is thinking big, and acting big too. On the campaign’s website visitors can create their own ‘sea kitten’ which can be shared on various social networks such as Facebook and MySpace. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…our ocean community needs to take strides to embrace these tools of globalization. There is no better way to reach the masses than with a catchy viral widget, blidget, badge, or blog…it’s all here to stay. For society to embrace the ocean and its inhabitants, just as it does the park across the street, these things need to become part of the everyday discussion for larger numbers of people.

Are the days of the ‘fish’ numbered…unlikely, but its this creative way of communicating that will engage the younger generation out there, and so the cycle continues.

So…get out there and pet your sea kitten!