Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Delight of aquarists

It is doubtful if ever a fish has hogged as much limelight as young Nemo.

Walt Disney's Academy award-winning movie, Finding Nemo, generated so much interest in the tiny orange clownfish that today, Nemo-kins have become the delight of many aquarist abroad. The name Nemo has come to represent the entire species.

`Nemo' is currently the centre of attraction at the Marine Aquarium at Vizhinjam here, where several pairs of the brilliant-hued orange clownfish are seen frolicking in the special reef tanks. Young children seem delighted to reacquaint themselves with their favourite movie hero.

Finding Nemo, when released in 2003, set the record as the highest grossing animated feature film in the opening weekend, with collections grossing over $70 million. The film received the Oscar for the Best Animated Feature Film in 2004.

Finding Nemo is the story of the underwater adventure of a father and his young boy clownfish, `Nemo.' Marlin, the father and a single parent, is very anxious about the safety of his son. Nemo one day defies his father and swims off alone. He is suddenly caught in a net and later ends up in an aquarium in a dentist's office. The rest of the movie is about the daring adventures of the father-son duo, who have to fight off dangers in the ocean like sharks and jelly fish, in their search for each other.

The orange clownfish was brought from the Andamans to the fish hatchery at the Marine Aquarium at Vizhinjam, where these were bred to produce several batches of fish. These have now been kept for public display. It is an expensive fish in the international market and fetches over 50 dollars for a pair.

The orange clownfish is also known as the anemone fish because of its symbiotic relationship with sea anemones. It is native to the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region, along Queensland, Australia, New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

In the wild, these fish live 6-10 years but in captivity could live as long as 18 years.

C. Maya

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

NIC readies software for seat allotment
Two held on rape charge
Finance Minister justifies taxing sectors of luxury
`Government to ensure safety of tourists'
Counselling notification to be issued on July 5
Delight of aquarists
Traffic police to get hands-free walkie-talkies
STED director replaced
Steps to execute Sabarimala plan
LDF cannot shield Joseph: Chandy
KSEB devises scheme to curb power theft
Bear attacks tribal in Neyyar forest
Man rescued from Sankarankoil
Sudhakaran declines to comment on Jayamala issue
Move to set up garbage plant opposed
`Nocturnal home' a distant dream
Low Vision clinic inaugurated
Now, it is golf tourism
Home Minister's son granted bail
Tribute to the Nila
Around the City
In Thiruvananthapuram Today

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu