Everyone remembers Dory, the incredibly lovable and hilarious blue tang from Finding Nemo, even if she doesn't. She just kept swimming her way into our hearts when we first saw her in the 2003 Disney film. So much so, that she is now getting her own feature film, Finding Dory, that follows her finding her own family and it comes out June 17, 2016!
With all this rising popularity in the theaters, she will also become a rising favorite pet option as more and more people want a 'Dory' for their very own. This has been proven previously with the drastic rise in the amount of clownfish sales after Finding Nemo gained so much popularity. However, this is a terrible idea not only for the future of the blue tang species, but for the owners of the beautiful fish as well.
Say no to dangerous Dory.
The blue tang, with the scientific name being Paracanthurus hepatus, is a vibrant blue fish with distinctive black and yellow coloration, much like the animated version. They can naturally be found in various reefs such as the Great Barrier Reef and other reefs near Japan, East Africa, Samoa and others. This fish is very colorful and aesthetically pleasing like Dory, however, it is adversely very dangerous and poisonous.
When feeling threatened (aka when a person with gloves, net, etc. tries to capture it), the blue tang has caudal spine which can be used to inflict deep cuts in their attackers. The fish can also use its tail to effectively slash and cut into the potential threat, even if all you want to do is clean its tank.
Say no to illegal capture and sell.
The blue tangs are harvested in the wild because they cannot be bred in labs or on fish farms. They are mass collected and many times illegal activity is used in the collection of these beautiful creatures. Whether too many are gathered or how they are gathered kills too many of them to be legal procedure, illegal acts of gathering and selling the blue tangs are rampant and highly ignored.
Say no to extinction.
While the blue tang is not in imminent danger as of right now, the projected massive wave of people wanting to stock their tanks with the fish could drive them to extinction or at the least, endangerment. They are very fragile fish and do not acclimate well when not in a school or at the very least a pair. Like the Dory we all love (and let's admit it, us too), the blue tang fish can get very lonely when isolated.
Blue tangs also grow to be approximately 12 inches, a whole foot! Many times owners are not prepared for this growth and it results in the fish not having a large enough tank to swim around and live in. They even help the reefs by eating surplus algae that could stifle their growth, but cannot do that if captured and driven towards extinction.
Say yes to doing your part!
You are informed now, the next step is to tell your friends and everyone you know of the dangers of buying a blue tang just because you saw Dory on the big screen this year. We must bring the dangers to light or else a whole species of fish, and potentially many others as well, will suffer as a result of our human greed. Do your part, don't buy a blue tang and encourage everyone you know to do the same!
