Scientists trawl with nets for interesting stuff

And manage to kill a giant squid in the process.  Sure, we could look at it as neither party intentionally planned for the animal's demise, but the jellyfish-pokers on board should've been somewhat aware that trawling is harmful.

In a recent article about the squid's untimely death it was revealed that the expedition was being conducted for a purpose that seems relatively ironic: studying the available supply of food for whales by trawling.  That's a bit heavy-handed don't you think?  That's like using a blowtorch to light some birthday candles.

No one in the academic or animal preserve community would sponsor such a hazardous-posing study, that's just crazy talk!  What's that?  Oh, the fine folks at NOAA footed the bill.  Hm.  Awkward.

Hoki-pocus!

As a follow up to our previous post, we'd like to present further evidence of how we're going to be eating things that are beyond ugly in the very near future.

Meet the hoki, a common cod-like family member:

Never heard of it?  Not surprising, afterall how many times do you ask McDonald's what's in its Filet-O-Fish?  

(ewww)

The hoki is commonly found off the coast of New Zealand but have been located in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.  It's an uninspiring-looking fish.  Its large eyes, which makes it look constantly surprised, dull silvery-scaled body which ends into a whip-tail, and protruding jaw doesn't exactly make it a prime choice for aquariums.

So what makes the hoki the main attraction of the fast-food culinary world?  Well, sadly because its cousins have been trawled to near-collapse.  Its veneer hides the desirable flesh beneath.  Its flesh is dense and milky white, it tends to be flaky and mildly sweet.  It was also discovered as a substitute source to many other local species.

There are plethora of problems related to the trawling of this fish.  Where shall we start.  Let's start a list, we like lists.

1. It's not sustainable, not at the rate we're going.  Yes, we really like it when fisheries take responsibility and aim to keep fish stocks at healthy levels.  But, discovering a specie that seems so large, especially during spawning seasons, that we think we we can dip our big trawlers in every year without making a dent is ludicrous.  When the hoki was discovered as an acceptable substitute, New Zealand set trawling quotas surprisingly high.  Only recently has it slashed those numbers.
2. Have you ever been on a speed dating session?  You know how you mark down the people you really, really like, then the people you like, then the people if you absolutely had to go out with last?  Well the hoki would be the absolute last choice.  But because the more desirable fish species like the red snapper and orange roughy have been traumatically damaged we're looking at the butter-face of fishes.  When will we stop the madness.
3. Two words for the future: blob fish.
   

What is a good substitute to eating this fish or other kinds?  Well we're big fans of salads.

The future of sushi

This is it, folks.  You're looking at the tuna-substitute of the near future.  And we're not kidding, this is an actual living entity in the ocean, and if we're not careful, it will be creatively hidden in menus as "white fish surprise".

We happen to like it, not only because it was Evolution's aborted extra credit assignment but also because truth is stranger than fiction.  This is the blobfish.  It doesn't do much.  As evidenced by the photo, it doesn't possess much of a body structure.  It has maybe two or three muscles, therefore it can't really propel itself through the water.  It just kind of...hovers.  As it floats right above the ocean floor it waits for nonsense food to float by.  It eats things we'd never consider fish food.  But then again...our future might look eerily similar at the rate we're going.