“22 Minutes”: Global campaign highlights the suffering of fish and invites people to celebrate a cruelty-free Halloween
Anima Law Focus, with the support of the Aquatic Animal Alliance and the communication development of Marketing Vegano, launched the global campaign #22Minutes, an initiative that seeks to debunk one of the most persistent myths in the debate about animals: that fish do not feel pain.
Every year, billions of fish are slaughtered without legal recognition of their capacity to suffer. The name of the campaign refers to the average time it takes for a fish to die from suffocation once removed from the water: up to 22 minutes of agony, a slow, invisible and deeply painful process.
‘When a fish is taken out of the water, it tries desperately to breathe. Its gills stop working, its nervous system is disrupted and its body fights until the very last moment. This agony can last up to 22 minutes. It is real suffering. It is painful. And it happens millions of times every day,’ says Sabina Bravo, Founder and Executive Director of Animal Law Focus.
The campaign seeks to bring scientific evidence to the fore, raise awareness in society and promote legal and ethical improvements in the protection of aquatic animals.
‘The scientific evidence is clear: fish feel pain and deserve to be protected under the same welfare standards as other animals. The World Organisation for Animal Health already recognises this reality, establishing specific recommendations for their humane stunning and slaughter. However, in Latin America we are still lagging behind in implementing these science-based practices, and it is urgent to move towards more ethical and responsible aquaculture,’ says Catalina Lopez, a veterinarian certified in Aquatic Animals by the WAVMA and Director of the Aquatic Animal Alliance.
Cruelty-free Halloween: ‘22 Recipes Without Terror’ cookbook
As part of the campaign, Animal Law Focus has joined forces with Animal Interseccional to launch the ‘22 Minutes Without Terror’ cookbook, a culinary proposal that invites people to celebrate Halloween with dishes that are 100% plant-based, affordable, accessible, and can be made in less than 22 minutes.
The recipe book will be available free of charge and will be distributed globally during Halloween week via both organisations' Instagram accounts.
‘This campaign is crucial to raising awareness of the damage caused by our food choices and, more importantly, to offering real solutions. This recipe book not only demonstrates that cooking without animals is entirely possible, but also accessible, affordable and quick,’ said Jesica Bon Denis, founder of Animal Interseccional.
International Activities
As part of #22Minutes, a webinar will be held in conjunction with the Aquatic Animal Alliance, which will be free and open to registration.
International webinar in English
Sentience in Fishes: Safeguarding Fish Welfare Across Different Contexts
🗓️ 13 November 2025
🕙 10:00 AM EST
Speaker: Prof. Lynne Sneddon, world leader in research on sentience in fish (University of Gothenburg).
More information and registration: www.animallawfocus.org/22minutes