Recently, activists from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) broke into the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in response to “blatant animal cruelty” in a research study. Jonathan Spirit, the graduate student leading the experiment, told news reporters he wanted to see if kelp would photosynthesize under near-aphotic conditions. “I set up two glass tanks, filled them to the brim with water, put kelp in one tank, freshwater fish in the other, and connected them via a conduit. I then sealed off the system so that no outside oxygen would enter, covering it with a tarp until the next full moon.” Spirit reasoned that the anaerobic conditions inside the system would eventually suffocate the fish unless the kelp was able to photosynthesize using moonlight.
After learning about this experiment, a UC San Diego undergrad employed at SIO tipped PETA off. Soon after, PETA mobilized and broke into the facility to free the fish, tossing them into the ocean. When asked to comment, Spirit said, “I was only doing a little bit of science. Whether or not PETA were trying to be heroes, the fish died upon entering the ocean, so I’m a little bit irritated.” PETA has declined to comment about the incident.