It appears Walmart may be in an alliance with live fish wholesaler Quality Pets Inc, Spectrum Brands / United Pet Group, and Marineland Retail Services, who are responsible for ongoing willful and knowing neglect and abuse of fish in their stores. They may also be guilty of breaking foreign export laws of Puffer Fish.
The FDA has confirmed Puffers are lethal. They are surreptitious netted by the thousands from marshlands in an environment that is dwindling due to industry and pollution, with no species impact studies to date. Thailand law states that because of it's lethal poison, Puffer Fish are illegal to sell, or export.Quality Pets obtains Green Spotted Puffer Fish from poverty stricken area's in Thailand, where it is illegal to sell them. Puffers are passed hand to hand, sorted, sold, sorted again, bagged, boxed, and shipped to wholesaler Quality Pets, who stocks them at Walmart stores. There they suffer and die because Walmart follows Quality Pets instructions for feeding. Every Walmart adheres to a regimented policy of feeding puffer fish Tetra fish flakes. They do this regardless of the fact that fish flakes are not their natural diet. Puffers do not recognize it as food, waste away and die, lying in the uneaten flakes , on the bottom of the bare tanks. Puffers will eat live or frozen food. On rare occasions, a starved Puffer will resort to flakes, but because Puffers are carnivorous, they prefer the fins and tails of their tank mates, thus adding to their suffering, stress, disease and bacterial infections, and long excruciating death.
In their wild habitat, the Puffers first line of defense is their famous puffing. They also excrete a deadly neurotoxin. Tetrodotoxin is the second deadliest poison of the vertebrates, and there is no antidote. Brightly colored, their "agroflodge" warns predators that they are poisonous, but to a toddler they might look like candy. Red Ear Slider Turtles were banned in the 70's due to fears concerning potential risk of salmonella poisoning. Today, Walmart sells deadly Puffer Fish to the public without proper handling instructions, or a warning label.
They are called, "Wet stores", which sell live fish from display tanks. Marineland furnishes, and is responsible for routine maintenance and repairs of these tanks that hold Walmart's unfortunate fish, including the poisonous Puffers. Walmart's display tanks are renowned for their obvious signs of poor health. Poor water quality from algae, uneaten food , and sadly, dead fish, contribute to high ammonia and nitrite, and are the result of neglected upkeep. The display tanks are kept 6 months behind schedule for regular professional maintenance solely to trap the sympathy buyer, who will turn and buy the closest and cheapest equipment available for a lucky fish they want to rescue. Marineland produces a line of aquarium products exclusively for Walmart, conveniently located next to the tanks, called AQUA- Culture. This is Walmart's exclusive brand of complete aquarium set ups. Walmart makes no profit from the sale of live fish. Marineland's AQUA-TECH filter and Aqua Culture kits lock the unwitting shopper into returning for repeated purchases of replacement filters and supply's.
API, Aqueon, and Tetra, also contribute to the production of Aqua Culture kits. There is no consistency of product, filters, tanks, heaters, which are intermittently swapped in and out, seemingly at random. Tetra food, water conditioner, as well as a care sheet with a question hotline, are found in the kits. This same hotline is shared with Seaworlds "Educational" Website. Seaworld (who is under scrutiny for inhumane treatment of Orcas and numerous unfortunate human, and marine mammal accidents, abuse, and fatalities) directs aquarium hobbyists to the fish care experts at Tetra. Thus bringing to light a clear understanding of the true nature of Wamart's Aqua Culture / Blackfish alliance. Walmart and the company's that manufacture Aqua Culture, share a Blackfish philosophy of profits over ethical treatment of animals I for one, would like to believe that Walmart may be unaware of the betrayal of Quality Pets, and their manipulation to place this popular best seller in Walmart by intentionally withholding the care, feeding and handling of the Puffers. Marinelands failure to perform duty's that are no doubt outlined in their contract, has hindered Walmart from improving it's image as it struggles with continuous attacks and criticism from associates, patrons, and the public.
Please speak to your local Walmart managers. Tell them they have authority to remove Puffers from their stores inventory, Please spread and circulate Puffer Awareness.
My petition: https://community.sumofus.org/petitions/end-the-walmart-blackfish-conspiracy
- Peggy Thomas Puffer Rescue Justice Corps
