The Wacky Fish World (Part II)

by Ed Katuska
Parts of a monthly column written for Wet Pet Gazette, Norwalk Aquarium Society
Aquarticles

A shocking experience
Kiev, Russia- 06/17/99 (Reuters)- An unidentified fisherman became the victim of his own stupidity when he came up with a rather unique, illegal and dangerous way of catching fish. He connected a long extension cord to the main power supply at his home and ran the wire down to a nearby river. The idea was to throw the electrified cord into the water, shocking the fish, which would float to the surface and could easily be scooped out. All worked well until he got to the scooping part. It seems he never unplugged the power supply before wading into the river to retrieve his catch. Needless to say, he won't be shocking any more fish.

A Secret Affair
Singapore- 6/13/01 (AP)- Men in Singapore are turning to fish farms to silence nagging wives and make room for their hobby. Koi farms across the country allow men to keep their pets a secret from partners who may be jealous of the attention they give them, or they are upset at what they cost to keep. Others, many of whom live in flats, use them because they do not have room to keep fish at their homes. Tony Lee who keeps his 'other family' of more than a hundred koi carp at a farm in Choa Chu Kang says he spends $5000.00 a month on their upkeep because his pond is too small. Nippon farm owner Stella Pay said she charges between $350 and $750 a month and has about a hundred customers.

Goldfish fire
London, England- 6/15/01 (Reuters)- Firefighters blamed a goldfish bowl for sending 26 people to the hospital in Britain. They believe the bowl may have acted like a magnifying glass that concentrated the sun's rays and set light to a garden shed containing a rat-catcher's potentially noxious chemicals. The sun's rays are believed to have entered one shed where the goldfish were kept and then passed through to another where the chemicals were stored. The tablets of aluminum phosphide gave off fumes when firemen tried to dampen them down. Eighteen firefighters, four paramedics and four neighbors were taken to an Oxford hospital suffering from vomiting, nausea, and burning chest sensations. Assistant chief fire officer Lawrie Booth told Friday's Times: "It is an extremely unusual cause of fire - a million-to-one chance." The goldfish did not survive the conflagration.

The law won
Singapore- 2/2/01 (AP)- A thief has been jailed for taking ornamental fish from a shopping center and them dumping them in a bin when he lost his nerve. The 12 prize-winning Discus fish were being displayed in a competition in a Singapore mall before they were stolen by Soh Han Seong. Soh and his accomplice were seen driving away at high speed and arrested. He said he dumped the fish because he was worried about being caught with the evidence. Soh pleaded guilty to stealing fish, a net and a bag and was jailed for one year. Soh's alleged accomplice will go to court at a later date.

Land shark!!!
Cornwall, England- 9/05/01- The Sun- A chef at a restaurant in Cornwall says his thumb was nearly ripped off by a dead shark. Darren Smith was driving the porbeagle shark to the Dolphin restaurant in Newquay when the accident happened. He braked sharply and his hand got stuck in the shark's mouth, severing an artery and almost slicing his thumb off.

The 24-year-old told the Sun: "I felt like an idiot. I must be the first person in history to be attacked by a shark on dry land - and a dead one at that. The Nurses at the hospital couldn't stop laughing when I said how it happened." Mr. Smith needed 17 stitches after the accident involving the seven feet-long shark.

Nautical Nuptials
Beijing, China- 6/13/02- Ananova- A couple have married at a Chinese aquarium with a sea lion acting as best man and a dolphin as a bridesmaid. Du Fengjuan and Fu Yujia, who both love sea life, were married at the Beijing Aquarium. The China Daily reports they will donate all their cash wedding gifts to the aquarium.

Rollin' the dice
Bournemouth, Dorset,UK- 11/01/01- Ananova- A stressed out spotted dicefish that can release a deadly poison when it gets anxious has been calmed down by putting a real dice in the water to act as a substitute parent. The fish, named Dottie, worried the staff that it could kill itself with its own poison if it continues on being so unhappy. So they bought a large dice from a local shop and say Dottie is now inseparable from her new friend. Display manager Kris Pring said: "It is just a bit of company for it. They are quite cheeky fish anyway as they squirt you with water when you go to feed them. Dottie seems to be a lot calmer now. I think she thinks it is another fish - like a comfort blanket. Now she is always close to the dice." Dicefish, also known as boxfish, are found throughout the Indo-Pacific and can grow up to eighteen inches, although Dottie is only the size of a large pea.

Scumbag
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada- 11.09/01- Ananova- Hamilton police are looking for help in catching a burglar who killed tropical fish in an aquarium and tried to poison the family's dog after ransacking a home. Sergeant Maggie McKittrick, police media relations' officer, said someone poured chlorine bleach into the aquarium after breaking into a Connaught Avenue North home. The intruder also poured bleach in the water dish of the family's black Labrador retriever, which was confined in an enclosure in the house while it's owners were away. The dog did not drink the water, but was pelted with eggs and other materials. McKittrick said the interior of the house was ransacked, with even the contents of the refrigerator and freezer thrown around. A red hockey bag was stolen, along with jewelry, computer equipment and some dental instuments. McKittrick said a man was seen standing on the corner of Connaught and Beechwood Avenue near the home for about five minutes around 1:30 p.m. He was described as being about 25 years old, 190 pounds and about five-foot-10. If anyone knows anything please call the east-end detectives at (905) 522-8477.

Belching bad breath in Belgian
Ghent, Belgium- 12/01/01- Ananova- Court rules fish swallowing ceremony is legal. A Belgian court says participants at an ancient festival are allowed to swallow live fish. Animal rights activist wanted the court in Ghent to ban the practice at Krakeelingenfeest where the Mayor and alderman drink the fish from their glasses of wine. The drinking ceremony opens the festival, which dates back to the 16th century, in the town of Geeraardsbergen. The Belgian animal rights organization Gaia claimed the ceremony was cruel, but the judge has ruled it is an integral part of the town's culture. Gaia chairman Michel Vandenbosh told De Morgen: "It proves once again that animals have no rights at all. We're returning to the middle ages."

Mother Nature 1, Idiots 0
Ingleside, Illinois- 06/18/98 (AP)- Daniel West and Joel Hardy were doing a little firecracker fishing, an unlawful sport in which large firecrackers (M250s) are lit and thrown into the water. The resulting explosion, which has the force of a quarter stick of dynamite, stuns the fish, which then float to the surface, were they can easily be scooped up. All was going well until a strong gust of wind forced their small boat atop an M250 that they'd just thrown into the water. The explosion blew a hole in the bottom of the boat sending it and Mr. West both to the bottom of the lake. Mr. Hardy managed to swim ashore where he was met by the game warden.

This idea stinks
Copenhagen, Denmark- 04/17/00 (Reuters)- Two unidentified Danish sailors who had shore leave in Copenhagen headed straight from the fishing boat to a nearby pub where they proceeded to throw down a few drinks. Sometime during the drinking spree they decided it would be fun to play "dodge em" in a nearby car dealer's parking lot. The sailors climbed a fence, picked a car each and drove around the lot, hitting 31 other vehicles and causing an estimated $640,000 in damage. Somehow they managed to escape and return to their ship, but were quickly apprehended. All the police had to do was follow their noses. The overwhelming smell of fish in the two cars led police to the fishing vessel docked nearby.

Oops
South Africa- 07/20/00 (Ananova)- Penguins who were evacuated from islands off South Africa to save them from an oil spill, upon release, were being shot at with shotguns by fishermen fearing the birds would chase away all the fish. The shooting went on for 45 minutes before realizing that these were the 23,000 penguins that were just saved. No count of the dead penguins was made available.

Target Practice
Portsmouth, England- 6/12/02 (Reuters)- Spitting archer fish in a Portsmouth aquarium are being given toys to help them regain their aim. In the wild they knock ants and beetles off overhead branches with jets of water but they have become lazy in captivity. The fish have got used to being hand fed so staff is now encouraging them to aim at plastic flies hung by thread above the water. The toys are smeared with food and suspended above the tank like a child's mobile so flakes drop into the water whenever the fish score a direct hit. The Daily mail reports fish are now shooting more than ever because of the feeding time training sessions. David Waines, from the Blue Reef Aquarium, said: "Before we put the fake flies in they were taking the occasional pot shot at overhanging leaves around their display. But you could tell their hearts weren't really in it. Now the mobile is in place they're really going for it."

A little help please
Middlesbrough, UK.- 5/08/02- Ananova- A goldfish owner has created a life jacket for his poorly pet out of a wine cork and a elastic band. Graham Morrison from Middlesbrough made the aid after his pet fish Gandalf's swim bladder started failing. The swim bladder acts like a balloon to keep the fish buoyant. The fish was finding it difficult to reach food flakes floating on top of the tank. Mr. Morrison cut a cork in half and placed the parts on either side of the fish, wrapping them around it with an elastic band.

The 33-year-old told The Sun: "He was starving and looking sorrowfully at the other fish feeding away as he wriggled about, unable to get off the bottom of the tank. He might look funny now but at least he is swimming about with great agility. In fact, Gandalf is playing with his plastic plants and eating his food like there's no tomorrow."

Marine biology expert Zahra D'Aronville of the Blue Reef Aquarium at Tynemouth said: "The swim bladder works like a balloon full of air inside a fish and keeps it buoyant. Hopefully, the problem with this one will heal itself so it won't have to keep swimming around with a cork permanently strapped to it."

Middlesbrough, UK- 7/12/02- (Ananova)- A goldfish given a life jacket made from a wine cork and an elastic band has died. Gandalf had faced starvation because his swim bladder was damaged and he couldn't rise to the surface to feed. Owner Graham Morrison's improvised life jacket seemed to do the trick but Gandalf was found dead after seven weeks. Mr. Morrison from Middlesbrough told the Sun: "He has gone to the goldfish bowl in the sky. I don't know why, it may have been just old age." He buried his pet in the garden to the tune of David Bowie's Golden Years.

Expensive Fish Tank
Sunderland, England- 7/07/02- (Ananova)- Two young lovers got so carried away in their car they didn't realize when it started rolling into the sea. The Sunderland couple knocked the handbrake in their Vauxhall Corsa and the car rolled down a slipway. They managed to climb through a window and wade half-naked to safety. A passer-by spotted them and called police who gave them a ride home. A Northumbria Police spokesman told the Sun: "They looked very sorry for themselves. From what we understand there was a lot of bouncing about which caused the handbrake to fail." He refused to name the couple, adding: "They were very embarrassed - it wouldn't be fair".