conservation | Ocean Bestiary

Tag: conservation

She was a clone. Not unique, not original, unable to make a difference. Inside her… it was growing. The precious cargo released only once every year, at the same hour, on the same night. This time, she wanted to be creative. Disruptive. Revolutionary.

Searching for inspiration, she remembered the beauty she saw every night, after waking up. The flashing colors passing by her. Colors attached to creatures unknown.

When crafting her bundle, she thought: “I’ll pick one color, and I’ll make it mine”

But her thoughts were not private. She was connected to the other clones by the lifeline, so her thirst for change spread through the communal hive-like entity.

“Pick one color” said the hive mind “and make it yours”

At the same moon time, the entire coral reef spawned. In a sea of pink eggs, the clones of the fashion-conscious coral colony sent their little bundles of hope out into the wild: A swarm of aquamarines, fuchsias, tangerines, lavenders, indigos, neon yellows and electric greens. The spawn predators, startled by the rainbow birth, ignored the fashionista eggs, and ate the traditional colors.

Imagined rainbow coral spawn. Normal and iridescent oil pastels. Credit: Sarah Frias-Torres

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March 19, 2015

Auction

It shone under the halogen lights. An object of desire. A symbol of power and wealth. The must-have of the millennium.

Sotheby’s had never been so crowded. Forget Monet, Matisse and Picasso oil paintings. This one was unique. Deep frozen. Ice dust on its surface bounced light with diamond-like brilliance.

The forty million dollar mark was long past. The bids kept hitting the auction floor, waves upon waves, each one higher than the last one.

Until it was done.

The last Atlantic bluefin tuna was sold to a man unsure of his manhood. He was a filthy rich tycoon who used death to buy his self-esteem.

Now, the oceans were forever empty of the great predator. In this way, humankind lost its humanity.

Author’s note: the Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is endangered due to overfishing. You can stop the Auction fable from becoming a reality. Don’t eat sushi or sashimi made with this species. Use a Sustainable Seafood Guide to choose wisely. Support the conservation of Atlantic bluefin tuna. Learn more at the WWF bluefin tuna project