On Spearfishing, Swimming with a School of Orange Stripe Surgeonfish & Veganism

August 18, 2010 @ 10:27 pm

orange striped surgeonfish

I’ll never forget the recent privilege of scuba diving about 85 feet underwater in Kauai and coming across a large school of beautiful orange stripe surgeonfish. They were cautious but not frightened as I approached and followed from close behind, and for a few wondrous moments they allowed me to swim amongst them before I had to return to my dive team. I also saw a few octopi, eels, starfish, crabs, dozens of sea turtles and whitetip reef sharks sleeping and cruising near the bottom.

Some of the younger turtles swam right up to me, slowly gliding by with their fins just inches away from my mask. It might sound crazy to some, but as I looked into their eyes I recognized their benevolent spirit and individual personhood. As I vegan, I wonder more each day how anyone could take such a life for food or sport. I really do believe that every sentient life is sacred.

Most people don’t understand this, but even fish can actually be quite intelligent. Barracudas have been described by experienced divers as being curious and friendly. Sharks have been described by scientists and experienced divers as having individual personalities. Like us, every living being feels fear and pain. They have binds and ties to their societies and families, unique purposes and drives, and they want to live. When you really open your eyes to other species, it’s easy to see that all non-human animals have souls.

Since I started diving, I realize that a lot of divers like to spearfish. I don’t know why I assumed less people would be interested in hunting and killing nature underwater than above it. After all, only about 1% of the population is vegan (but this is quickly changing), and plenty of people hunt above land. There are a lot of divers who are passionate about photographing sea life without having to kill, eat or conquer it for sport, and this is definitely the camp I fall into.

Underwater life is being fished out of existence, there’s no need for humans to eat fish, and fish and fish pills are certainly not a health food. To me, hunting in itself is not only unnecessary to human survival, it’s not sportsmanlike at all (How hard is it to shoot any animal with a gun, or drag it out of the water with implements?). The concept of posing with a dead, “conquered” animal like a formerly majestic mako shark—or even a tuna or a grouper—is one that’s completely foreign to me. The pride and glee in the eyes of some of these people, mostly men, seems to represent some sort of insane bloodlust—a need to conquer and dominate—that our culture has been suffering from for too long.

Killing animals, including sea animals, is a violation of what I see as the natural order of a peaceful, ethical coexistence between man and nature’s inhabitants in their own home. While it’s important to recognize wild animals for what they are—sometimes predator, sometimes prey—they lack our unique capacity for waste, vanity, and cruelty as a form of amusement. I’m not putting all hunters in this category, but the fact is that humans don’t need to eat animals to thrive or survive. I don’t think it’s anthropomorphizing for mankind to recognize all creatures’ desire and inherent right to life, and act accordingly, without malice.

To this end, I encourage every diver who’s concerned about our oceans to make a positive change for your health, the environment, and the animals of the world. Grant the respect, wonder and awe for the natural world it deserves. Protect and conserve it for its own sake, and for future generations. Most importantly, practice the Hindu concept of Ahimsa or non-violence. Go vegan.