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Everyone knows the animal we call “the ugliest fish ever” but how do you think that fish feels about being called ugly every single day. Imagine you stroll into school every day, and the first thing you hear is someone call you ugly. Then, as the day moves on, you get called ugly more and more. That feels pretty bad. They don’t know you or your life, yet they constantly call you names. That is EXACTLY what blobfish go through. During my summer vacation, I was having a nice conversation and then the person asked what my favorite fish was. After I told them blobfish, they decided the fish wasn't real and that I was making it up. I then had to pull up pictures and websites to prove that it was real. That is what inspired me to write this article and bring more light and appreciation to the blobfish community.
Since there is such a strong distaste for blobfish I’m going to give you some fun and interesting facts about them:
They are mainly located in Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania
They don’t have muscles or bones
They don’t have teeth
They are at risk of being extinct
They only eat crustaceans
They don’t have a swim bladder (The swim bladder is a gas-filled organ in the dorsal coelomic cavity of fish. Its primary function is maintaining buoyancy, but it is also involved in respiration, sound production, and possibly perception of pressure fluctuations, including sound.)
The picture above shows what a blobfish looks like in its natural habitat, compared to a blobfish that has been taken out of the water with such force that it has severe skin and tissue damage. So even the fish that we call the ugliest isn't even that ugly unless we cause it immense harm.
No matter how much of a satirical piece this article is, it also has a very deep underlying message. We need to stop pulling these creatures out of their habitat and using them for our own entertainment. We are laughing and gawking at their pain and suffering. They are miserable yet we don't care a single bit. I believe we should care more about these creatures and put a little more love into their environment.
This is also a metaphor on how we treat people everyday. When we diminish and bully people it can severely damage their self esteem and them as a person. Take this as a lesson on how treating people badly and calling them names can be extremely dangerous and harmful.
By Kennedy Hansen
Roosevelt High School
Published September 19, 2023
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