Adelaide nightclubs are getting away with displaying fish and subjecting them to entirely unnatural conditions while they profit. Atlantis Bar & Lounge (163 Waymouth Street) is home to a 25,000 litre tank of fish, positioned directly on their dancefloor, who are forced to endure party conditions every Friday and Saturday night. Mr Kim's (134 Hindley Street), open on Saturday nights, and Casablabla (12 Leigh Street), which operates as a nightclub across the weekend, also house a fish tank near their dancefloor. All of these fish are exposed to unnatural harsh lighting, loud noise and ground-wobbling vibrations while busy crowds of visiting patrons party around them, funding and contributing to their suffering. Records show Atlantis and Mr Kim's have had their fish tanks in operation for up to 10 years now. Let's finally put an end to the suffering these fish endure!

Fish are now included under the definition of an animal within South Australia's Animal Welfare Act 1985, meaning we legally recognise them as sentient beings who can perceive and feel - not that anyone should have needed that to acknowledge this. These nightclub environments are extremely unnatural, a known stressor for any animal, and therefore inhumane. The fish should, ideally, be rehomed into a safer, more natural aquarium environment that does not subject them to aversive nightclub settings weekend after weekend.

Having visited the venue, the behaviours that the Atlantis fish are displaying during nightclub hours are extremely concerning and proof that their environment is having a harmful effect. I am a qualified and experienced animal behaviouralist and animal welfare scientist, quick to notice stress-response behaviours and look for their potential triggers as I did the first night I visited this nightclub. Since then, I have undertaken extensive research and contacted numerous professionals, which has validated my concerns and led me to advocate for their rehoming. 

The venues have ignored my attempts to communicate my worries with them directly. They do not want to take responsibility for an obvious breach of animal welfare, and so the fish continue to suffer. These nightclubs have no excuse for profiting while animals in their care are subjected to cruelty; there is no excuse for animal abuse. When I was at Atlantis, their "person in charge" responded to my initial concerns and request to contact the owner with "fish can't hear" - wrong; the person responsible for the care of these fish, even if only for the night, did not understand their basic biology and anatomy. Shame on these nightclubs for having no apparent regard for the welfare of these animals. Let’s be a voice for the voiceless and advocate for their freedom (rehoming)!

*See the Facebook group "Free The Fish! Advocating against the animal cruelty @ Adelaide nightclubs" for photos, videos and more information and/or to contact me directly*