The latest trend in bar games, goldfish racing, is under scrutiny in Utah after some say the race is a form of animal abuse, according to a Local 6 News report.

During the fish race, bar patrons shoot streams of water behind their fish with squirt guns to urge them to swim faster to the finish line. The fish swim in long, trough-like lanes inside the bar.

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Goldfish Racing At Bar Considered Cruel

The Human Society of Utah says the game is cruel, Local 6 News reported.

"We believe that animals have feelings like we do and they want to enjoy life," Human Society of Utah spokesman Gene Bairschmidt said. "They can feel pain and fear and so we think when something like this happens, it can make people feel possibly unsympathetic to abuse of other life forms."

The bar owner, Kelly Payne, says the fish he buys for the races would be used to feed to other fish. He says once the race is over, people can take the fish and give them a good home.

Payne said he came up with the idea while visiting a pet store in Utah.

The game debuted this week at a bar in Salt Lake City.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.