A few days ago we wrote about the animal rights activists that broke into the Rayfish Footwear fish farm and stole the entire stock of genetically modified stingrays that the company was growing into bio-personalized sneakers.


The company now released a video in which their CEO, Raymond Ong, discusses the controversy around their product. He believes that "the issues that have surfaced since his company website was launched, reflect the complexity of our consumptive relationship with animals." and calls the robbery an “irresponsible act that will have unforeseen consequences for years to come”.


The CEO furthermore claims the highest standards of wellbeing for both his stingrays and his workers, steering the debate towards the question whether it is more unethical to buy a pair of expensive handmade sneakers you know were “raised” for your own personal satisfaction, or to buy cheap disposable sneakers made by underpaid workers from cow leather "raised" under deplorable conditions.


"Most of us have become complete strangers to the products that surround us", Ong said. The CEO also noted his concern that the genetically modified stingrays may interbreed with wild populations. Speaking of nature caused by people...

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4 comments

  • @Tyler: Fancy some popcorn with it?

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  • LOL this pathetic. NextNature is behind this hoax, Koert forgot to erase the EXIF data on one of Rayfish's press releases and it lists him as the author. Not only that but Rayfish's admin panel is on the same IP as http://understandingnature.com which is affiliated with who? Guess! NextNature!

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  • I believe they are. Only the stingray's skin was altered, not the rest of its body.

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  • Does anyone know if the reproductive abilities of the stingrays released are intact?

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