Open Letter: Welfare Concerns Regarding the Retail Display of Betta Fish in Small Cups

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To the executive leadership of major pet retailers,

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As veterinarians, scientists, and professionals with expertise in fish and animal welfare, we have serious welfare concerns about the routine use of small cups as a retail display method for betta fish.

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The low water volume of small cups allows waste to concentrate quickly, exposing fish to harmful ammonia. In busy retail environments where numerous bettas are kept on display at once, these conditions are difficult to monitor and maintain consistently. The limited space and lack of environmental enrichment restrict natural behavior, while the absence of stable temperature regulation and filtration can create unstable conditions that contribute to chronic stress and disease. 

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As prominent leaders in the pet industry, your companies help define retail standards and influence how animals are displayed and cared for. This practice should not remain an acceptable retail norm. We urge you to end small cup displays for betta fish.

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Signed,

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• Stacie Grannum, DVM

• Jaipal Gill, DVM

• Crystal Heath, DVM - Our Honor, Executive Director

• Noémie Hofman, DVM, WAVMA-Certifed Aquatic Vet

• Catalina Lopez, DVM, WAVMA-Certified Aquatic Vet

• Jena Questen, DVM, WAVMA-Certified Aquatic Vet

• Larrea Cottingham, DVM

• Elena T. Contreras, DVM, MS, PhD, MANZCVS (Animal Welfare)

• Margaret Fordham, DVM, MSc VetED

• Kathleen Makolinski, DVM

• Julia N Allen, PhD, DVM

• Robin Berry, DVM

• Christine Capaldo, DVM

• Lina Gustafsson, DVM

• Maria Jose, DVM

• Madeline Graham, DVM

• Laura Cochrane, DVM

• A. Downes, DVM

• Jennifer Feeney, DVM

• Kim Culbertson, DVM

• Nancy Prena, DVM

• Maia Broussard, DVM

• Gwendy Reyes-Illg, DVM, MA

• Ella Bittel, DVM

• Peggy W. Larson, DVM, MS, JD

• Lisa M. Kulemin, DVM​

• Geoff Vernon, DVM

• Melissa Kehl, DVM

• Jill O Kulig, VMD

• Marlena Cleary, DVM

• Emily Talkington, DVM, MSc, MSL

• Michael W. Fox, BVetMed, PhD, DSc, MRCVS

• Claire Hobson, RVN

• Heather Schrader, RVT

• Lori Mihalcik, MS, LVT, CVT

• Dr. L.F. Lunn, B.Sc., B.V.Sc (Hons)

• Dr. Elizabeth Ormerod, BVMS Churchill Fellow

• R. Mason Payne, DVM, cVMA

• Isis Johnson-Brown, DVM

• Emma Bratton, DVM

• Clay Hodgin, DVM, PhD

• Cierra Buer, DVM

• Carolyn A McCutcheon, DVM

• Kirsten Jackson, BSc, BVMS (hons), PhD, MANZCVS (Eq Dent)

• Jonathan Balcombe, PhD - author of What a Fish Knows

• Naomi Clark-Shen, PhD - Fish welfare researcher

• Wasseem Emam, PhD - Aquatic ecologist and Founder of Ethical Seafood Research

• Prof. Culum Brown - Professor of Fish Behavioral Ecology, Macquarie University

• Lynne Sneddon, PhD - Professor of Aquatic Animal Biology, University of Gothenburg

• Haven King-Nobles - Executive Director, Fish Welfare Initiative

• Eliane Gonçalves de Freitas, PhD - Senior Professor of Animal Behavior and Physiology, São Paulo State University

• Caroline Marques Maia, PhD - Biologist, Researcher, and Science Communicator specializing in fish behavior and welfare

• Sonia Rey Planellas, Senior Researcher, Aquatic Animal Behaviour, Cognition, and Welfare

• ​Émilie-Lune Sauvé - Senior campaign manager, Animal Advocacy and Governmental Affairs, Montreal SPCA

• Friends of Philip Fish Sanctuary

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