Catching a record-size grouper is nothing to celebrate. It is cruel | Letter to the editor

Catching a 50-year old grouper is an act of cruelty, not an “accomplishment” (“Sarasota captain catches 350-pound grouper in the Gulf. It took a while to get that big,” Feb. 2).

It’s not something that Capt. Jason Boyll or any other fisherman should be proud of. Fish are sentient beings, just like other animals.

Legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle once said, “I wouldn’t deliberately eat a grouper any more than I’d eat a cocker spaniel. They’re so good-natured, so curious. You know, fish are sensitive, they have personalities, they hurt when they’re wounded.”

Let’s all strive to be kind, not break records for being cruel.

Heather Moore

Sarasota