PETA doesn't want to let the catfish out of the bag -- or whatever wrap people use to sneak them into Bridgestone Arena.

The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals is discouraging Predators fans from bringing catfish -- and throwing them on the ice, as is tradition -- ahead of the Nashville's first-round playoff series against the Stars.

PETA will hand out squeezable, green foam fish -- which look more like bass and have the words "respect animals" printed on them -- before the series opener Wednesday night (8:30 p.m. Central; Fox Sports Tennessee/USA; 102.5-FM). Green also happens to be a team color for the Stars.

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"Catfish are unique individuals who feel pain and fear, value their own lives, and deserve our respect," PETA executive vice president Tracy Reiman said in a statement. "It's no more acceptable to throw catfish corpses onto the ice than it would be to throw cat corpses, and PETA hopes these squeezies will help keep the game fun for fans and fish alike."

PETA suggested that any fan caught trying to bring a catfish into the arena be ejected, banned for life from attending games and fined $5,000.

The PETA fish are made from Polyurethane, a spokeswoman told the Tennessean, which is biodegradable.

Still, there's potential for a mess inside Bridgestone Arena should a lot of these make their way through the doors.

Reach Paul Skrbina at pskrbina@tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter @PaulSkrbina.

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