Fight The Evil Empire: The Marine Oligarchy Part 1

No, this has nothing to do Rage Against The Machine - nor does it have anything to do with the relatively recent development regarding Chris Cornell leaving Zach dela Rocha’s former band mates. This is just a work of fiction that doubles as “link love” gimmick. Just go with it.

It is hard to jump to a body of ocean already inhabited by an already established school of fish. No, I’m not talking about bony fish (Class: Osteichthyes) - we’re not talking about a group of trout or salmon here. I wouldn’t want you to have that misconception. The type of fish that dominates these waters are an aggressive type of cartilaginous non-tetrapod chordate fish. I’m talking about sharks of course. These sharks have been living in these areas for so long that they have long dictated the way things are run. Everything in this biome has been under the command - every other small fish, glob of kelp and grain of sand has been at their disposal. Literally everyone and everything is under their control.

Who could blame them? They are so big that they have the weight, clout and power to call the shots without getting overruled. No one could contest that they have invested a lot to get where they are. To be a big shark, one surely needs to eat a lot of smaller fish in the process and it seems like none of them went for any weight loss program during the past ten years.

Are they victims of the laws of Darwin? Did their choice of adaptive strategy help them clinch their ability to maintain a marine oligarchy? Perhaps they were fortunate from the start. They did their first move in the evolutionary reaction game and thanks to their genetic foresight, they are now the masters of their environment.

Most inferior denizens bought into the label and subordinated accordingly. They served their masters like handmaids and butlers to their kings and barons. In return for their servitude, they expected indulgence. They gave rise to a new form of fish…

Remoras or suckerfish are elongate brown fish in order Perciformes and family Echeneidae. They grow up to 30-90 cm long (1-3 feet), and their distinctive first dorsal fin takes the form of a modified oval sucker-like organ with slat-like structures that open and close to create suction and take a firm hold against the skin of larger marine animals. By sliding backward, the remora can increase the suction, or it can release itself by swimming forward.

These species of shark have a unique ability to boost smaller fish higher into the food chain. And they definitely use this without much discretion.They’ve been doing it for so long, and just recently, they showed once again that they could select whomever they want because they are in charge. It’s a blatant show of power. And clearly, the years of marinating in power has corrupted them to the core.

What can the small fish do to be able stand up for themselves, then? Should the fingerlings be content with settling for scraps and be herded by the vicious predators? The sharks can afford to lose a hundreds of razor sharp teeth and still be in fighting shape the next day. They are built to kill. Trying to fight them alone is almost tantamount to suicide. The names of those who dared have gone forgotten through the years, while handful of individuals continue their clandestine planning without much success. Is this progressive ideology doomed to be stashed away in the deepest parts of the sea?

It is naive to believe that the evil empire will be falling down soon, but for sure, the renegade elements of this ocean have been wallowing in disgust over all these years.

One day, we will take the ocean back and make it our own again.

One by one, the sharks will die. One by one, they will fall.

I just don’t know how long I can wait.

Do you have the patience for it?

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Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and was not meant to be accurate in terms of taxa, ecological concepts and evolutionary timeline.

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