In the wacky world of fishing, Alaska stands as the undisputed champion of oddities. Sure, you’ve heard of one fish, you’ve heard of two fish, and you’ve definitely heard of a red fish. But, hold onto your fisherman’s hat because, folks, you can also reel in a bona fide blue fish!
Late last August, in the mystical waters of Homer, Joe Chmeleck, the fearless owner of The Lodge at Otter Cover, made a catch that would have Dr. Seuss himself doing a double-take.
In a turn of piscine pizzazz that could only exist in the pages of a Dr. Seuss storybook, Chmeleck snagged a rock greenling with a color palette so vibrant it went viral faster than a sneeze from the Lorax.
Now, this isn’t your average blue. It’s not the kind you’d find in your crayon box, oh no! This is blue that makes the sea itself jealous. But how in the name of Sam-I-Am does a fish get such a hue? According to Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Donald Arthur, it’s all thanks to a green bile pigment called Biliverdin. That’s right, a green pigment that turns fish blue. Color us confused!
While scientists are all in on where the blue comes from, they’re still as clueless as a cat in a chapeau as to why these fish decide to go all Picasso on us. Is it UV radiation, a quirky diet, or perhaps some fishy genetics at play? Arthur’s shrug says it all.
Since Joe Chmeleck shared his technicolor catch on Aug. 30, it’s been making waves like a fish in a blender. Over 3,500 shares and a boatload of bewildered commenters later, Joe’s left scratching his head more than a cat with an itchy sweater.
“I had no idea anything like that was going to happen … it’s been absolutely insane,” Joe remarked, “People are going crazy, so, so many people are like, ‘I’ve never seen anything like that.’ I think there is actually 17 different countries that have seen the post so far.”
This catch, folks, is like the Lady Gaga of fish – exotic, colorful, and just a tad bit intimidating. Joe reminisces, “We caught one about a year ago… We were sort of a little bit afraid of it, we didn’t know if it was poisonous or what it was. Typically when it is super colorful like that I’ve been told, the more colorful, the more dangerous it is.”
So there you have it, folks – a fishy phenomenon so fantastic that even the good doctor himself might have been inspired to pen a whimsical rhyme or two. In Alaska, when Mother Nature gets her hands on a crayon, she doesn’t just color inside the lines; she rewrites the whole story.
Images/Source: AlaskasNewsSource
