Removing Small Fish from an Aquarium
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Question
Shalom to our esteemed Rabbi, shlita, In an aquarium with small and large fish, the large ones want to eat the small ones. Is it permissible to remove the small fish on Shabbat and transfer them elsewhere due to animal suffering? In the book 'Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata' (Chapter 27, Section 58), it states that in an aquarium where small fish have been spawned, it is forbidden on Shabbat to remove the small fish to prevent them from being eaten by the large fish. It is noted in the commentary (there) that I heard from the Gaon, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, that since the person is not doing anything, and it is the natural way of fish that the big one swallows the small one, there is no issue of animal suffering. This seems difficult to me because this is not the way of the world; here it is not like they are in nature where they are in a large place and have the ability to hide and escape, and if the big fish eat them, it is less suffering than when the fish are in a small aquarium and see the big fish circling around them wanting to eat them, here they are in prolonged fear and try to hide and escape until they are eaten, and it may take several days before they are eaten, and all this time they are in fear, this is prolonged suffering: the small fish are confined in a relatively small space and have nowhere to escape. The predator is always present: the big fish is constantly in their field of vision, creating a state of chronic stress without interruption. Escape routes are limited: even if there are hiding places, the big fish can easily lurk near food sources or in certain other places. And it seems that there is animal suffering in this. What is the Rabbi's opinion, shlita?
Answer
Shalom and blessings
Even though it is an aquarium, it is not permissible.
A. The person is not doing anything, and there is no obligation for a person to interfere with natural processes. For example, a person who sees a cat about to catch a mouse does not need to pity the mouse and chase away the cat. For in the same measure, one could pity the cat that wants to eat.
B. Although there is a technical difference between an aquarium and the sea, the reasoning does not change due to the stress levels of the fish or the number of escape routes.