Bobo Claw, a Texas arcade, has introduced a disturbing new game: a “fishing” claw machine where players use an attachment to grab and win live fish as prizes.

Animal Welfare Concerns:

Fish are not toys. Subjecting them to the chaos of a claw machine, with lights, noise, rough handling, and repeated capture attempts, causes unnecessary suffering and stress. This promotes a careless attitude toward animal life, especially among children.

Recipients of these fish are rarely prepared or knowledgeable enough to care for them properly. Most fish won in such games experience shortened lifespans due to neglect and improper housing. 

Environmental Concerns:

When pet fish are acquired impulsively, there’s an increased risk that they’ll be dumped into local waterways when the novelty wears off or their care becomes inconvenient. This can contribute to ecological disruption, the spread of disease, and harm to native species. 

Legislative Precedent:

This practice falls under the broader category of giving away live animals as prizes, which is already banned in many places.

It is illegal to give away live animals as prizes in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Vermont, and parts of West Virginia. The city of Berkeley, California banned the practice of awarding fish as prizes in 2017.

Bobo Claw, this is not innovative, it's regressive:

We urge Bobo Claw to immediately remove any claw machine games involving live animals. 

Let’s show that we expect better than this. Fish are not prizes or objects for short-term amusement.

View the machine on Bobo Claw's Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMF_0lSgeE6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MXhvazN5dXB5enJndg==