San Francisco Considers Ban on Goldfish Sales

Proposals to ban cat and dog sales are nothing new in San Francisco, but now animal control officials recommend ending the sale of goldfish, tropical fish, and guppies. Such fish are generally bred inhumanely, a member of the city's animal welfare panel tells the San Francisco Chronicle. “Most fish in aquariums are either mass bred,” he says, “or taken from the wild," which results in "devastation of tropical fish from places like Southeast Asia."

The newly adopted proposal follows a yearlong review. “This is another Animal Welfare idea that will end up in the dustbin of history and go absolutely nowhere,” says a supervisor, perhaps referring to a previous plan to spike bird food with birth control to help the city's pigeon problem. But “all this is, is a recommendation,” says the panel’s president. The city's Board of Supervisors will have the final say. (Other things San Francisco doesn't like: circumcisions and happy meals.)