200 year old fish killed for fun.

What would you do if you came across someone who had managed to live to the ripe old age of two hundred years?

This is Stanley. (But his mates called him Stan.) He is a bright pink 'shortraker' who lived off the coast of southern Alaska. At his age, he could have been a great, great, GREAT grandfather to goodness knows how many fish. On the day he was killed, he could have been on his way to visit an old friend to talk about last night's game, or the cold weather they’d been having. (Did you know that fish communicate using low-frequency squeaks? Some even sing.)

Whatever his story is, one thing is for sure – Stan wanted to live.

This is Henry. Henry is the guy who pulled Stanley out of the water. When fish are taken out of the water, they immediately start to suffocate. It's the exact same feeling as if you or I were pulled under water and started to drown. (Check out this video where Ewan McGregor imagines what this must be like for a fish: Desserts).

Poor Stanley was a goner the minute he was pulled up. Fish that live very deep down in the ocean (approximately 275 metres in this case) have something called a "swim bladder" which is filled with gas and helps them to remain buoyant. When they are brought to the surface, the gas in the bladder expands and usually bursts, causing the fish to die. Sounds painful doesn’t it? :(

Henry is a "recreational fisher." This is what he does for fun. He plans to have Stanley mounted on his wall so that he can tell the story to friends, family and visitors in his home. I wonder if Henry knows that he can get trophies for table tennis too and no-one has to die.

Fish biologist Kristen Green said she was very sad to see a fish this old taken from the sea. However she also noted that "this is a drop in the ocean compared to what the commercial fisheries take."

She’s right. Commercial fishing kills billions of animals every year -- more than any other industry. Often, more than half of the fish pulled out of the sea by trawlers are unwanted and tossed back. Unfortunately, most will already be dead by this time and those that aren’t will probably die from their injuries or be too weak to escape from predators. :(

The good news is that there is a very easy way that you can save hundreds of fish (and other animals too). Simply don’t eat them. Pledge to take animals off your plate today and start saving lives. :) Stan would be so proud!

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