I was a but surprised at the idea of this bumper sticker, Icthyologists for Clinton, until I thought about it for a little bit.
We don’t think about the profession of Icthyology very much, but icthyologists are actually at the center of one of the most important, and most neglected, issues of our time: The ecological destruction of the Earth’s oceans. Put together overfishing with pollution and climate change, and you get an environmental disaster – it’s taking place right now, though we have trouble recognizing it, given that we live on the land.
The oceans used to team with life, and now, life is being bleached out of the oceans. Marine ecosystems are going topsy-turvy. Icthyologists, who study fish for a living, can see what’s happening to our oceans with their own eyes. In places like BlogFish, icthyologists are documenting the extent of the threat piece by piece. It makes sense that icthyologists would support a presidential candidate who seeks to end the years of environmental neglect under George W. Bush.
Icthyologists for Clinton? Sure. I’ll buy that.
