‘Finding Dory’ Opening Spells Disaster for Blue Tang Fish (VIDEO)


Finding Nemo is the iconic movie that every young kid can’t help but love from Pixar Animation Studios, and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Finding Dory, set to be released June 17, will likely attain the same success its predecessor did that made it $937 million at the box office, according to Box Office Mojo.

Box office success will most likely come at the expense of the blue tang fish population, the species Dory represents, in much the same way Finding Nemo‘s release in 2003 affected the clown fish population, the species Nemo represents. Environmentalists are very upset, and rightfully so.

Finding Nemo led to a tremendous increase in orange clown fish demand. Some estimates note that clown fish sales increased by 40 percent, according to Quartz. Aquarists learned how to breed the clown fish in tanks, which offset the number of the fish taken from coral reefs to a certain extent.

Unlike clown fish, scientists are unable to breed blue tangs. This means the pressure caused by increased blue tang demand will fall directly on the reefs.

The Indo-Pacific holds the largest population of wild tropical fish, according to Quartz. Scientists fear Finding Dory will lead to the over-collection of blue tangs putting severe pressure on the coral reefs. Thus, the population of blue tangs could very well become endangered.

Kelsey Bourgeois created a petition online with Care2 Petitions calling for Walt Disney Studios to place a public service announcement (PSA) at the beginning of the movie. She argues that it could potentially decrease the number of people who try to purchase blue tang fish. It’s gained just over 90,000 signatures so far.

Bourgeois commented to Fox News that,

I really think Disney would not intend for the films to harm the actual animals their characters are based off of, and adding a PSA at the beginning of the movie would be such an easy way to prevent that.

The Saving Nemo Conservation Fund stated that as a result of Finding Nemo, clown fish went extinct in certain areas, and approximately 1 million are taken from coral reefs every year to be used as pets. Unfortunately, if we don’t take action now, the very same could happen happen to the blue tang fish population, and likely even worse.

With the increase in ocean acidification, coral reef bleaching, and ocean waste, maintaining oceanic ecosystems is becoming more and more of an important issue, as myriads of fish species are going extinct. If action isn’t taken soon, the damage will become irreversible.

View the brand new Finding Dory trailer via the Ellen Show:

Featured Image: Screenshot From The Ellen Show Via YouTube.

 

Olivia is a foreign English teacher in Seoul, South Korea. She's studied abroad in Morocco and Cuba and is a 2015 graduate of Saint Anselm College with a BA in International Relations and Economics. She enjoys writing part time on the side about politics, environmental issues, and travel.