Thursday, September 18, 2008

I'm on the Endangered Species List, what's your excuse?

The image to your right is of vintage quality, however it is very representative two things: that men were a-hole fishermen long before we invented the tiered system of endangerment, and that the Giant Sea Bass is no longer that giant or that plentiful.

Sadly today we discuss the giant sea bass while nervously biting our fingernails. Despite its conspicuous size, very little is known about this species of magnificent fish. It shares its morbid honor with several other species including the Coelacanthis. The prize in hauling one of these giants up is just that: its ridiculous size. They can be found off the coasts of California cruising around, thinking about maybe reproducing. It takes a very long time apparently, for fish to trust us and allow them to live like they did pre-human threat.

The giant sea bass (or black sea bass as he's known in some parts) had supported much of California's booming fish industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It only became evident that these fish were desperately trying to hold onto existence in the '70s. That's right...the 1970s. They were hunted down and exploited for a good two hundred years before some genius realized the Chryslers of the Sea were dwindling down to a population of just a few. Despite having passed protective measures, the giant sea bass is slow to reproduce. But then again, we shouldn't expect a rapid repopulation of this species. After all, that would entice fishermen to dust off those spears. Additionally, we just don't know what they do in their spare time. They might be really great chess players, or have a love of Nabokov. Whatever it is they do while hiding out we should let them be. Because no one likes being bothered, especially when you're trying to save your own kin.