Fish Die, People Don’t Care

It’s bad enough close to a million dollars was wasted on two giant fish tanks, but when several of the expensive [fish die] unexpectedly two weeks later, you have to wonder what the hell is up. The Staten Island ferry terminal recently installed two tanks holding around 400 tropical fish. Things were going smoothly until a handful of the fish died one morning.

“Three or four have passed, maybe more," a maintenance worker at the ferry hub said Tuesday.

Maybe more?  You mean you don’t know?

The deaths remain a mystery.  There are, however, many theories and speculation leading to the culprit.  It’s suggested that there is a predator in the tank and it’s feasting on many of the confused, smaller fish still trying to get used to its new surrounding.

"When you open a fish tank, there's a period when everything gets acclimated," said Staten Island Deputy Borough President Ed Burke. "We expect from time to time to lose a fish, the tank is under lots of care."

While all this apparent death occurring, it seems ferry goes couldn’t care less.

"So many fish in one tank, you wouldn't expect all of them to live. [It's] survival of the fittest," said Gregory Goffphine, 40, from Staten Island.

"I don't think it would bother me if I came here and saw one of the fish gone."

So there you go.  Fish are trying to fight for their lives and the only thing you people can do is turn the other way.  I suppose if the tanks were filled with puppies and they were killing each other, somebody would notice.

Photo by [jmcdermott on Flickr]