CULTURE
The Intergalactic
Space Chronicle
Fishing for Mutant Fish –
Which Ones You Shouldn’t Take Home
Rudy Macentire
Mutant fish bring the excitement of fishing to a whole new level. Not knowing what kind of oddities you may catch on that hook makes it all the more fun. But not all mutant fish are made equal and there are some you really should not eat.
With so many countries throwing their chemicals into the oceans and rivers, especially after the great divide of 2150, when each country was out for itself and everyone stopped working together to better the environment, it was no surprise that by 2100 it was very rare to find an un-deformed fish outside of man-made fish pools.
But some of those mutant fish were still very tasty even with five eyes. Neon red shrimp proved to be a beautiful addition to a dinner party, and glowing bluefish had a fun lingering glowing effect in the mouth that kids loved. Let’s face it; anything to make kids eat is a win.
However, there are some highly toxic fish out there, and just because they’re still alive doesn’t mean you will be if you eat them. That’s why we suggest always doing a quick lab check when you catch any fish for radiation, high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls or polybrominated diphenyls.
Another good rule of thumb is that if it makes noises or tweets send it back from whence it came. The original gill-bearing aquatic craniate animals we call fish never made sounds. At least not ones that humans could hear.
