Catch and release fishing is often portrayed as a harmless, even benevolent, pastime. Yet if we take fish pain seriously, it's a rather cruel activity. I talked to anglers/fish welfare experts about it, and dug into what happens to fish when they're caught and released:

Three beluga whales died over the course of eight days at Shedd Aquarium. Despite its storied reputation, it's a reminder that even top-rated aquariums can't give animals what they need in captivity.

A new analysis of financial documents obtained by Vox found that since the early 2000s, the National Pork Board — which legally can’t use its funds for lobbying — has moved $66 million into the National Pork Producers Council, a lobbying organization. Read more from @kennytorrella.bsky.social:

I wrote about what's called the "small body problem," how it accounts for the vast majority of animal suffering in food production, and how small changes to how we eat could slash the number of animals factory-farmed:

You might've heard about the Save Our Bacon Act. Turns out that the main group lobbying for it--Natl. Pork Producers Council--has taken $66M from a farmer fund intended to promote pork, & which legally cannot be used for lobbying. 40% of the $66M hasn't been previously reported. (Gift link below.)

Drones have become an incredibly powerful tool to expose animal cruelty. But a new Trump administration rule could make it much harder to fly them over farms.

Organic farms are legally required to treat animals better. But a new @mercyforanimals.org nimals investigation into a Costco organic chicken supplier revealed extreme abuse and neglect, along with flouting nearly all of the main organic welfare rules. (Gift link below)