To Kill A Fish

After watching a bunch of fishing channels on YouTube last month, I was hooked (excuse the pun). My friend Anthony and I got our fishing licenses for the year and was excited to see if we could actually catch something, anything! We decided to try the North Jetty of Half Moon Bay on a late Saturday afternoon. At first, we didn’t know what we were doing or whether we even had the right gear or bait. I also just learned how to properly cast a fishing rod a few days before and to tie some basic knots, so we didn’t expect much luck. 

After a few snags and trying a few different holes between the rocks, I somehow got a decent size rockfish on my line. There is always a rush of thrilling sensation when you get the first bite. Then suddenly I heard Anthony yell out in excitement as he hooked up one as well. We managed to get six keepers before we decided to call it quits as the the sun set on the horizon.  

When I reeled up the first rockfish, I remember staring it in the eye and wanting to release it. How could I kill something that I love? I don’t think I’ve ever personally killed a living thing for food before. To kill a fish, was heart wrenching. I took a deep a breath and humanely dispatched it, watched it stopped breathing and gave my thanks to the ocean for providing me a meal. That evening, my perspective of food changed forever. 

Here in the urbanized world, quality food is plentiful which makes it easy to take it for granted. I’ve never thought deeply about my food or thanked anyone before a meal before. Many of us don’t know where our food comes from. We buy food from the supermarket on a regular basis but we don’t think about what it took for the food to get to the shelves or even on our plates. We don’t know whose hands toiled to pick that fruit, or the animal that was fed and nourished for years only to perish.

I killed a living animal for the first time and watched its life taken away by my own hands. I then had to accept that fact and live with that feeling inside me. I remember handling the fish with the ultimate care and respect. I cooked it to perfection, shared it with my family, and ate every last bit of it. Nothing went to waste because I knew exactly how much patience and effort it took to get it. I will always remember that fish, because it taught me to have an even deeper respect for the earth that feeds and sustains us, and to appreciate the simple things I have like food and water and not take anything for granted. 

January 26, 2019 | Fishing Lessons