Using live fish to eat away dead skin in pedicures would be banned in New York State for health and humane reasons under a proposed bill. ... Fish pedicures are illegal in at least 14 states, according to state Senator Jeff Klein of the Bronx and Westchester, who proposed the bill. The bans cite the concern that health conditions led by fungal infections may be transmitted by unsanitized fish in dirty water. Animal-rights groups are pushing for outlawing the procedure because it is inhumane to the fish.