Flotsam &
Jetsam
Aggressor Damaged, Open Water, Jellyfish for Lunch?,
People Eat Puffer Fish
from the August,
2004 issue of Undercurrent
Aggressor
Damaged: The Palau Aggressor canceled at least two
months of trips in June after a freighter was blown into it during high
wind (no one was hurt). Scores of divers had to rush frantically, with
the aid of Aggressor staff, to find substitute destinations
in Palau and throughout the Pacific, which led to many problems in switching
flights (and expectations). The Aggressor is expected to be
operating again by mid-September.
Open Water. I saw an early preview of this
film, opening August 6, and it’s a winner. While accurately portraying
day boat diving, it builds enormous tension as the two lead characters
drift aimlessly after their boat heads home without them. The constant
threat of sharks is understated — no heavy handed music —
and unexploited, as the couple struggles through an emotional roller
coaster while their chances for rescue dim. Based on the true story
of an American couple left behind in Australian waters, Open Water
builds to a powerful and believable conclusion. Divers could pick a
few nits, but why? Just roll back and drift with this powerful and believable
story. Then, rush to your dive store and buy yourself a safety sausage.
www.openwatermovie.com
Jellyfish for Lunch? The depletion of the seas has
become so severe that Daniel Pauly of the University of British Columbia
says that jellyfish are being targeted for food. In the wake of the
disastrous crash of the North Atlantic’s cod stocks, the Newfoundland
government is encouraging fishermen to go after jellyfish, Pauly said.
Recently he was served jellyfish in Thailand — “kind of
crispy, a noodle-like thing.” Fish that were once subpar have
become dinner mainstays. Fish from New Zealand known as slimeheads were
rechristened orange roughy in the 1980s — and promptly overfished.
Patagonian toothfish became Chilean sea bass and demand drove a thriving
poaching business. Unless you’re looking forward to a jellyfish
sandwich, eat only sustainably caught seafood. For more information,
go to: www.thefishlist.org/FishList.pdf
or www.audubon.org/campaign/lo/seafood/seafood_wallet.pdf.
People Eat Puffer Fish: Even in Florida they do; however,
in the past 30 months at least 28 people have gotten sick eating the
southern puffer harvested from the Indian River Lagoon. The type of
poison here, saxitoxin, is new to the lagoon’s puffers. Japanese
prize puffer sashimi — fugu — though some diners die even
after well-trained chefs trim the poisonous tissue.
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