HUMAN SAVAGERY
HUMAN SAVAGERY
Fishing was not like hunting he told himself. Something so pleasurable could not possibly have an adversarial emphasis because he was sure everyone and their brother went fishing. He was doing the same, only a larger catch. Also, he did not consider denizen's of the deep as equal to land animals, they were just robotic life forms moving through earth' s waters with no purpose except to keep their blood flowing until they were ready to be caught and eaten, or whatever you were going to do with them, and he felt people shared this conviction with him.
His BIG FISH travels had taken him from Destin to Cancun where he went after barracuda. Sharks were a favorite, fighters they were. Hours and hours sometimes, worthy devils, fight to the death. It did not occur to him why a fish, thought of as an automaton, would fight in that manner. Could it possibly be fighting for its life? The ridiculous notion occasionally drifted across his consciousness but he immediately hastened its departure thinking of his new equipment. He had spent the wealth of Croesus on equipment over the years and intended to make full use of it, with the culminating photos of himself on deck with his
Magnificent catch, possibly being featured in Saltwater Sportsman.
It finally happened as it was bound to. Everyone hears of the whale and dolphin drives at various places through out the world. He was no exception but wanted to see what all the clamor was about. Denmark, Faroe Islands or maybe Japan at that place -- Taiji! They claimed to sell the dolphin meat to supermarkets but he wasn't interested in that. He had once tried "Catch and Release" deep sea fishing--what a bummer. Go to all that work and release your catch? No thanks, not this Salt Captain!
Anyway he thought to drop in on Faroe Islands, then spot over to Scotland for some tamer entertainment, salmon fishing. He was prepared for a wild and wooly deep sea roundup but what he got changed this one life for the rest of the time remaining on earth! The savage butchery, the obvious animal torment and suffering could not in any way be denied, in some cases pregnant dolphin mothers were split open, amidst screams of terror and pain, and their fetuses ripped from still living bodies. He was so violently affected that legs became useless appendages no longer able to perform assigned functions.
Scotland and salmon were forgotten, equipment acquired over decades was unceremoniously dumped. He questioned himself for his blindness, how selfish desires could have justified entertaining himself in this way. He had called these creatures mindless robots, but that perfectly described him, didn't it?
His money and time are now spent in a more equitable pursuit of preserving marine life of every and all kinds.
By his deeds you shall know him
is now his proudest slogan
I should not be castigated for what I was, but praised for what I have become
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