Save the Fish: The Demand for Dory
People are certainly more conscious of the environment now and reacted by petitioning Disney to protect the “Dory Fish” otherwise known as the blue tang. Unlike clownfish, blue tangs must be caught in the wild. Pet stores are unable to breed them, which means that divers, like the one that caught Nemo in “Finding Nemo”, actually have to go out and find them. They are taken from their homes and sold off for the enjoyment of seeing part of your favourite movie in your home.
How exactly are they caught though? It’s a lot worse than you might have imagined. Divers use cyanide to subdue the fish in their reef homes in order to catch them. This makes the fish more sluggish and easier to catch, but it destroys the coral in the process. It also leaves the affected fish unhealthy, which is no good for the fish or the buyer.
Not every blue tang is caught in this way, but it is important to note that many are. Some suppliers are better than others, but ultimately the blue tangs are still taken from their homes.
Yes, it would be fun to have your very own Dory. But is it really worth taking a fish from its home and having it undergo a lot of stress just to name it and feed it? Before you go out and get a pet “Dory” please consider the implication it has on the environment. Sign the petition.
They may be just fish, but unlike you and me, they don’t have a voice
I was one of those children who would have died to get my hands on a clownfish as a pet after Finding Nemo came out. Every fish became a “Nemo” and I had a desire to own a fish tank. My parents shot that idea down, but I was not unlike most kids my age at that time. The movie skyrocketed the popularity of home aquariums and clownfish, which is ironic considering Nemo is captured to be put in an aquarium in the film. My child brain did not understand that though...I just really wanted a fish.
With Finding Dory out in theatres, the problem of another fish demand arises again. Will the youth of our generation demand what we once did during our childhoods?