Letters to the Editor: You know who welcomes a shorter Dungeness crab season? The crabs
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To the editor: Entanglement in crab fishing gear is one of the biggest threats to whales — highly intelligent, complex, majestic animals. (“New fishing gear means California can have its crab without killing whales,” letters, Feb. 13)
But there’s another victim of commercial fishing — crabs.
Just like our companion dogs and cats, crabs are living, feeling animals. They are emotionally complex beings who work together to gather food and for mutual protection. And they suffer the same physical pain we all do.
Just imagine your legs being ripped off your body or being boiled alive. It may be inconvenient to recognize that crabs are sentient, remarkable animals, but we now know they are, and we must look at them with fresh eyes.
The world no longer has a thriving “lamp lighter” industry. Switchboard operators are a thing of the past as well. These endings were not a tragedy, but rather a positive sign of social progress.
It’s time for the commercial crab fishing industry to go. The survival of whales depends on our compassion, and the economy will be just fine if we leave crabs alone.
Scott Miller, Norfolk, Va.
The writer is a research specialist for fishing and waterways at the PETA Foundation.
