AgroBiothers
Laboratoire, a leading pet care firm from France has decided to discontinue selling
round fish bowls due to animal abuse concerns.

According to the firm, round
fish bowls with no oxygenation and filtration can “drive fish crazy and kill them
quickly”.

In conversation with Reuters, CEO
Matthieu Lambeaux stated, “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.”

AgroBiothers Laboratoire has
decided to sell no aquariums smaller than a capacity of 15 litres. Furthermore,
the aquariums will now only be rectangular in shape.

Goldfish have a lifespan of up
to three decades and have growth spurts that can make them grow up to 25 cm, if
they are domesticated in big aquariums or ponds. On the other hand, the fish that
are placed in compact bowls often have the tendency to die within a few weeks
or months.

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According to Lambeaux, goldfish are aquatic animals that are quite social in nature. They often require sufficient space
and companionship, something that small bowls fail to offer.

He
added that the country is Europe’s ace market for aquarium fish, with over 2.3
million fish.

While
other European countries like Germany have prohibited the use of fishbowls through
laws, France has no legal restrictions imposed yet.

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 Lambeaux further stated, “It is a French
anachronism, that is why we decided to move. We cannot educate all our
customers to explain that keeping fish in a bowl is cruel. We consider that it
is our responsibility to no longer give consumers that choice.”

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While the popularity of fish bowls
continues to be at an all-time high, fish bowls merely give children the possibility
of watching their goldfish die soon, according to Lambeaux.

AgroBiothers has a market share
of around 27% in pet care products and has sold over 50,000 fishbowls each year
for about 20 euros a unit.