Leading French pet care retailer AgroBiothers Laboratoire has ended sales of fish bowls on welfare grounds.
The firm says it will no longer sell any aquariums with a capacity of less than 15 litres and will only sell rectangular ones in future, as putting fish in small bowls without filtration and oxygenation is a form of animal abuse.
AgroBiothers chief executive Matthieu Lambeaux told Reuters that goldfish are social animals who need the company of other fish, ample space and clean water.
He said: “People buy a goldfish for their kids on impulse, but if they knew what a torture it is, they would not do it. Turning round and round in a small bowl drives fish crazy and kills them quickly.”
France is reportedly Europe’s number one market for red aquarium fish, with about 2.3 million fish in people’s homes. AgroBiothers, which has a French market share of about 27% in pet care products, previously sold around 50,000 fish bowls per year at about 20 euros a piece.
Germany and other European countries have banned the sale of fish bowls, but France currently has no legislation on the issue.
