Donny Moss is the founder of Their Turn, animal rights news/media
Growing up on the water in Miami, Florida, I thought nothing of throwing a rod in the bay and fishing for fun. On the rare occasions when I actually caught a fish, I couldn’t take him or her off the hook. Someone else had to do it for me. I don’t think it had anything to do with empathy for the fish; I was just squeamish. I also remember my parents taking fishing trips in the Florida Keys and coming home with large sailfish that they would mount on the wall like a trophy.
My parents, who regard themselves as animal lovers, would have never hunted land animals, but they had no problem reeling in sea animals with hooks through their faces. Perhaps the disconnect can be attributed to the fact that fish look so different from us. I connected the dots when I started watching undercover videos about factory farms. Now, I ask people who fish to think about what it must feel like to be torn away from your home by a sharp hook and suffocate to death on the deck of a boat. I also point out that fishing is hunting in the water.