Redlights and Redeyes

Florida never ceases to amaze me.  Just when I think I have been around long enough to know my state, a story comes along that make me go, “really?”  That happened when I got a call from The New York Times last week about tropical fish farming being hit hard by the recent freeze we’ve been having for going on two weeks.  Florida produces half of the tropical fish sold in the country.  Who knew?

I was sent out with Damien Cave again to wander the backroads of our state.  They lie on dirt roads, tucked away behind trailers that resemble meth labs more than multi-million dollar fish farms.  Once there, huge ponds filled with water so thick you can’t see the fish until they are netted.  When we showed up at both farms, the breeders and farmers were racing to try to save what was left of their plecos, mollies, and angelfish.  One little detail I loved was the tanks they used are cast from human vaults for burial sites.  Circle of life.

Alas, these guys were very gracious with their time in the midst of their turmoil, even though they are watching hundreds of thousands of dollars pretty much freeze right in front of them.  If it’s not the cold, it’s the birds who come and eat the stunned fish.  If it’s not that, it’s the stalled production time.  They’re getting hit hard.

Visually, what peaked my interest was the facilities themselves that resemble greenhouses on the outside, but inside they take on the persona of old movie sci-fi labs, hot as hell, with an odor of boys locker room.  Very strange, but fascinating.

Alas, to the photos, I am going with texture and tone over color and content.  If you want to check out the originals in color, go check out the story and gallery at the NYT here.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 at 9:26 pm and is filed under The New York Times, photos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.