An Arizona animal-rights activist has reeled in a new name for herself — and Chilean sea bass everywhere are flapping their fins in approval.
Rachel Feather, 21, legally changed her last name to FishingHurts because, she believes, fish are "the forgotten animal," according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
That, and she's a die-hard PETA fan. She took the slogan from the group's Web site on fishing.
Feather — who apparently wasn't worried about offending birds by dropping her original surname — requested the replacement be the full FishingHurts.com. But a judge thought that was a bit too fishy. He refused to let the Flagstaff resident use ".com" as part of her new moniker, PETA said.
"I hope that by changing my name, people will be inspired to trade in their fishing rods for hiking boots and their fish sandwiches for veggie burgers," FishingHurts said in a statement released by PETA.
Feather became a vegetarian at the age of 13 on a dare, according to PETA.
"Fish should be respected, not mutilated on hooks or dragged up from the sea," she said. "I'll remind people of that every time they say or read my name."
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