"Red in Tooth and Claw"

A Smithsonian Institution article in January of 2018 detailed recent scientific studies concluding that fish do feel some sort of pain (see https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/fish-feel-pain-180967764/).  The implication may be drawn that traditional fishing methods used by humans, such as barbed hooks on a line, are cruel, although the article makes no such assertion. 

However, Nature, as Lord Tennyson pointed out, is red in tooth and claw (he might have added “beak”), and fish are subject to that maxim perhaps as much as any creature.  From grizzly bear harvests of salmon to terns plucking Atlantic silverside from the ocean, fish are indeed often treated poorly by Mother Nature.  No moralizing or justifying here, just a few examples of how Nature treats fish.

Osprey, once known as “Fish Hawks,” are exceptionally efficient fish catchers, with very sharp talons.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

Bald Eagles also possess the necessary tools to catch fish without a rod and reel, but with plenty of hooks.

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Terns are a bit more delicate, plucking fish from the water with their bills, then swallowing them alive.

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) – Adult feeding fledgling

And sometimes playing with their prey, like a cat with a mouse.

Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)

Cormorants are another super-efficient fish predator, nabbing them underwater and swallowing them whole.  In some parts of the World, cormorants are used to catch fish for human use, with string tied around their throats to prevent them from swallowing.

It looks like a heartless game of “keep-away” using a live fish, but it’s actually a juvenile bird harassing its parent for more food while the parent is trying to teach self-sufficiency.

Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus)

Many ducks, including this female Ring-necked Duck, also pursue fish.  The account for this species in BNA Online does not mention fish as a typical food item, although they are known as “opportunistic” and "omnivorous" feeders.

Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)

Herons are fishing machines. They stab, bite, subdue, and swallow fish whole after standing patiently and still for long minutes waiting for the opportunity.

But sometimes they bite off more than they can chew; this heron gave up after several tries. According to BNA Online, Great Blue Herons catch prey from 5 to 30 cm.  The bird's culmen (top ridge of the upper mandible) is about 12 to 15 cm, so this fish, which I am advised by an expert is a Brook Trout, is near the maximum size. 

Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias) – with Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

So, while there is no excuse for unnecessarily causing pain or distress to a fellow living creature, realize that you would have to go some to outdo Nature in that regard.

All Photos © C.S. Wood