Along the Chicago lakefront, gizzard shad - a type of herring — are dying off in large numbers. Thousands, maybe more, are dead and frozen or floating in Lake Michigan. Geese and ducks are feeding on the dead and dying fish.
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| Wrasse Bird |
A close-up of a blue-eyed moray eel in Indonesia captured an honorable mention in the "Indonesia Residents" category of the fourth annual Deep Indonesia International Underwater Photo Competition, whose winning photos were released to the press earlier this month.
Known to grow as long as about 5 feet (1.5 meters), moray species generally lack pectoral fins, unlike most other eel species.
Source
Don't go in the water!
Photo from Flickr, by Laura Travels
I don't speak Russian, but I think it's for a series of ads for AquaMagazine.
More here.
Employees of a Pennsylvania pet store expecting a shipment of tropical fish and salt water received a man's dead body instead.
Mark Arabia owns the Pets Plus store in northeast Philadelphia, where the mix-up was discovered Tuesday. He said he learned the body was that of a 65-year-old San Diego-area man who died of early onset Alzheimer's disease.
The deceased man's wife said she was shocked initially, but found the former mailman's posthumous postal mix-up funny.
The body was supposed to go to a research laboratory in Allentown, 70 miles away.
The fish were left at the airport and probably died.
Source
That's not the name of a person, it's the carcass of a ray or a skate which has been modified and subsequently dried, resulting in a grotesque preserved specimen. [wiki]
One suggestion for the origin of the term was "jeune d'Anvers" (French for Antwerp is Anvers), that is "young girl of Antwerp." British sailors "cockneyed" this description into the personal name "Jenny Hanvers."
For centuries, sailors sat on the Antwerp docks and carved these "mermaids" out of dried cuttlefish. They then preserved them further with a coat of varnish. They supported themselves by selling their artistic creations to working sailors as well as to tourists visiting the docks.
Jenny Hanivers have been created to look like devils, angels and dragons.
It is possible that Jenny Hanivers were the source of some tales of dragons during the Middle Ages, and they affirmed people's belief in dragons. Jenny Hanivers may also have started the legends of Mermaids.
(via Cynical-C)
At Susology, the story of an artist currently creating Jenny Hanivers.
Photo credit: Awkward Conversations post on "Rogue Taxidermy: The Jenny Haniver".
Each time the fish strike the seabed, they push off with their fins and expel water from tiny gill openings to jet themselves forward. That, and an off-centered tail, causes them to bounce around in a bizarre, chaotic manner.
Photo credit: David Hall
Source
The New York Times recently had an interesting article on the importance of salted cod to Portuguese Christmas dinners:
“Bacalhau, as the fish is called here, is to Christmas Eve in Portugal what turkey is to Thanksgiving in America. Treasured since the 16th century, when Portuguese fishermen first brought it back from, it bore the nickname fiel amigo — faithful friend. Its correct preparation is a source of pride, a sign of respect for family values."
"Every Portuguese, it seems, likes to boast that there are 1,000 recipes for bacalhau and that the people here eat more of it than do those anywhere else in the world.”
If you want to try celebrating this Christmas the Portuguese way, we recommend this traditional recipe from Cuisines of Portuguese Encounters, Expanded Edition. As the author Cherie Hamilton says about it:
Codfish prepared for the consoada (the traditional Christmas Eve dinner) is an alternative to the codfish cooks with todos (literally "all"), which is traditionally served for supper on December 25. This particular recipe, besides being very enticing, appeals to those who like their codfish served in large pieces. In some homes it is served as a second course, preceded by boiled crabs, shrimp, and lobster; and followed by roast turkey or Roast Suckling Pig (page 44) and the trimmings.
2 pounds thick salt cod fillets
6 medium onions, peeled
6 carrots, peeled
2 pounds medium white potatoes, peeled
3 pounds collard greens, stems removed
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup olive oil
8 cloves garlic, smashed
6 to 8 hard-boiled eggs (1 per person)
Soak the salt cold fillets in cold water to cover for 24 hours int he refrigerator, changing the water frequently.
Drain the salt cold and place in a large pot with the onions, carrots, potatoes, greens, and salt. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan and saute the garlic cloves until lightly golden. Keep warm.
Arrange the codfish, onions, carrots, potatoes, collards, and eggs on a large platter or several platters. Serve the warm olive oil with garlic in a bowl on the side to drizzle over the fish and vegetables.
Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
A customer at Green's Gourmet Grocery marveled at the proprietor's quick wit and intelligence.
"Tell me, Green, what makes you so smart?"
"I wouldn't share my secret with just anyone," Green replies, lowering his voice so the other shoppers won't hear. "But since you're a good and faithful customer, I'll let you in on it. Fish heads. You eat enough of them, you'll be positively brilliant."
"You sell them here?" the customer asks.
"Only $5 each," says Green.
The customer buys three. A week later, he's back in the store complaining that the fish heads were disgusting and he isn't any smarter.
"You didn't eat enough," says Green. The customer goes home with 20 more fish heads. Two weeks later, he's back and this time he's really angry.
"Hey, Green," he says, "You're selling me fish heads for $5 apiece when I can buy the whole fish for $3. You're ripping me off!"
"You see?" says Green. "You're smarter already."
A redneck was stopped by a game warden just north of Kentucky’s Lake Cumberland recently with two ice chests of fish.
The game warden asked the man, "Do you have a license to catch those fish?"
"Naw, my friend, I ain't got no license. These are my pet fish."
"Pet fish?"
"Yep. Every night I take these fish down to the lake and let 'em swim 'round for a while. Then I whistle and they jump right back into this ice chest and I take 'em home."
"That's a bunch of hooey! Fish can't do that!"
The redneck looked at the game warden for a moment and then said, "It's the truth. I'll show you. It really works."
"Okay, I've GOT to see this!"
The redneck poured the fish into the river and stood and waited. After several minutes, the game warden turned to him and said, "Well?"
"Well, whut?" said the redneck.
"When are you going to call them back?"
"Call who back?"
"The FISH!"
"What fish?"
(via)
A blond decides to go ice fishing one day. She takes her stool and her fishing pole onto the ice, and cuts a big hole. Then a voice says:
"THERE ARE NO FISH UNDER THE ICE"
Perplexed, the blond moves her stool 100 feet, sits down again and goes to work cutting another hole. Again, the voice said:
"THERE ARE NO FISH UNDER THE ICE"
Clearly flustered, she moves the stool to one last spot, sits down, and picks up her auger. Again, the voice boomed:
"FOR THE LAST TIME, THERE ARE NO FISH UNDER THE ICE"
Finally, she can't take it. She cries out, "God, is that you?"
"NO, I'M THE OWNER OF THIS HOCKEY RINK"
What day does a fish hate?
Fry day.
What did the fish say when he hit a concrete wall?
"Dam."
What do fish play on the piano?
Scales.
What do you call a fish with no eye?
A fsh.
What fish is the brightest?
Sunfish.
What fish is the most valuable?
A goldfish.
What happened to the shark who swallowed a bunch of keys?
He got lockjaw.
What sea animal can be adjusted to play music?
The tune-a fish!
What type of fish play poker?
Card sharks.
What's the best way to catch a fish?
Have someone throw it at you.
What's slippery, lives in the sea and loves Dean Martin?
That's a Moray!
Where do fish keep their money?
In a riverbank.
Why did the fish cross the road?
Somebody threw it!
Why don't oysters give to charity?
Because they are shellfish
Why don't fish play tennis?
They might get caught in the net.
Why is it so easy to weigh fish?
They have their own scales.
