This exhibit reimagines the classic children's game, Operation! as a three-way interaction between bluefin tuna, the organisms who infect them, and the viewer/consumer.
Each parasitic organism is given its own art style and color scheme, with eyes reminiscent of those of more complex organisms. The significant artistic variation between species, and even among individual members of each species, represents an intentional departure from the assumption that members of "lower" species such as fish and eukaryotes are fungible and only valuable qua their potential to enrich human life.
Gill flukes (Exostoma thynni, Pseudocycnus appendiculatus, and Euryphorus brachypterus) parasitize the gills of ranched bluefin tuna (Adams et. al, 2017). Symptoms of gill flukes include inflammation, hemorrhage, and necrosis.
The bright, whimsical colors used in the artistic renderings of these parasites stand in stark contrast with the usually flat, uninspiring images created by microscopes, which are the default modalities for observation of these creatures.
Blood flukes (Cardicola spp.) have been detected in wild juvenile bluefin tuna caught for aquaculture (Sugihara et. al, 2016). Blood fluke infection is one of the main sources of fatality in farmed bluefin tuna populations.
Sea lice (Caligus spp.) have been found on the external surfaces of bluefin tuna. The lice cause eye damage to the tuna by grazing on their corneas. It appears that tuna become infested with sea lice via sea cages (Hayward et. al, 2008).
The common thread shared by all of these parasites is that their incidence in bluefin tuna populations is likely exacerbated by aquaculture (Nowak, 2004). However, there is still a dearth of research, and the precise severity of risks posed to bluefin tuna and other populations cannot yet be ascertained. This exhibit seeks to realign our collective imaginings of interactions between humans, non-human animals, and the even smaller organisms that depend on these non-human animals. Do we have a duty to preserve the health of populations on which we prey? To what standard should we hold industrial food systems such as aquaculture operations, with respect to the welfare of their occupants?
Art by Celina Lee. Writing by Celina Lee and Cole Peloquin.
References
Adams, M. B., Hayward, C. J., & Nowak, B. F. (2017). Branchial Pathomorphology of Southern Bluefin Tuna Thunnus maccoyii (Castelnau, 1872) Infected by Helminth and Copepodan Parasites. Frontiers in Physiology, 8. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphys.2017.00187
Hayward, C.J., Nowak, B.F., Aiken, H.M. (2008). An epizootic of Caligus chiastos on farmed southern bluefin tuna Thunnus maccoyii off South Australia. Dis Aquat Org 79:57-63. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao01890
Nowak, B. F. (2004). Assessment of health risks to southern bluefin tuna under current culture conditions. 7.
Sugihara, Y., Yamada, T., Ichimaru, T., Matsukura, K., & Kanai, K. (2016). Detection of bluefin tuna blood flukes ( Cardicola spp.) from wild juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis caught for aquaculture. Aquaculture, 452, 9–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2015.10.021
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