Tunarama (1/26/07)

Consider the life of the tuna. Mr. Limpet wished for such an existence: "A fish can swim," he sang. "That's all they ask of him." While its life may seem blissful, the tuna has much to deal with. It takes everything our finny friends can do to avoid the fisherman's net. (Of course, there are exceptions.) Even if they do escape, they still face being poisoned. And for that unlucky number who are caught, the humiliations don't cease even upon their deaths. Their corpses are tossed around like sacks of potatoes and their flesh is subjected to strange recipes. There's even a town in Australia that devotes an entire weekend to the ritual humiliation of the noble Thunnus, offering prizes to the sadist who tosses the tuna's carcass the farthest. With no safety on land, in the air, or in the sea, the tuna may need to take a cue from the catfish and start digging.