In August 2023, I took an amazing photography workshop near Katmai, Alaska. Every morning a float plane dropped us at a small lake, and we hiked to the banks of creeks and rivers to watch the antics of Alaskan brown bears as they fought over salmon, dove for salmon, ran after salmon, and when they were successful, fattened themselves on salmon. We observed these bears for 5 full days, and I was surprised at the difference in fishing styles between individuals – some sat still and submerged their heads, others chased and pounced, and a few thought a better technique was to steal fish from others. Fighting other bears is a way of life for the Brown Bears of Alaska. They fight to eat; they eat to survive. They are strong and agile. These bears are fighting over a single salmon, when there are so many salmon swimming in the creek, enough for everyone… What struck me about this encounter was seeing the extreme violence of the fight, considering that there were lots of salmon there for the taking. The instinct seems to be not to just survive and thrive, but to prevent others from doing so.