Death by the pound
December 9th, 2006 by admin
Yesterday, the Bradenton Herald printed an update on the investigation into a fire that damaged an aquaculture research building at the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota.
The paper reported that the fire in July killed “53,000 pounds of sturgeon that were being raised in 16 fiberglass tanks.” Is it possible that the Mote researchers did not know how many fish were in the tanks, only how much they weighed?
If you break down the 53,000 number, it becomes clear that between 3,000 - 6,000 sturgeon died in the fire. Each of these were individuals who likely suffered a horrible death. Unfortunately for other sturgeon, Mote’s aquaculture program continues.
Sturgeon, who in nature travel long distances, on aquafarms spend their entire lives in cramped tanks. At Mote, male sturgeon are killed for meat when they are 2 or 3 years old. Females are allowed to live a little longer, until 5 or 6, before their eggs (”caviar”) are removed and they are killed. The natural lifespan of a Siberian sturgeon, one of the species raised at Mote, can be 60 years!