Bob the Blobfish: The Only Blobfish in Captivity

In May 2017, Bob the Blobfish was accidentally caught in a gill net off the coast of Rausu, Hokkaido in May 2017 at a depth of 2460 to almost 4000 feet. Ever since, he has resided in Aquamarine Fukushima, in Japan and is the only blobfish on display in the ENTIRE world. His aquarium is kept at 2℉ and the lighting is kept dim to mimic his natural habitat, the deep sea of the Northern Pacific ocean and off the coasts of Japan and California. 

In their natural habitat, blobfish just look like masses of pink slime, but when Bob was brought from the deep, spines began to form on his skin. Though blobfish were voted as the world’s ugliest animal in 2013 by the Ugly Animal Preservation Society, Koji Matsuzaki, Bob’s caretaker, thinks that Bob is cute and that visitors seem to think so as well. Bob, however, isn’t used to the attention and his fans sometimes have to look hard to get a glimpse of the shy fish. What do kids think of Bob? 6th grade Hammonton Middle School student, Gianna Morrone, thinks that “He’s ugly, creepy, and will haunt my dreams.” However, one student’s reaction was “Is that even a blobfish?” with another adding, “It looks like a fish.” Do you think blobfish should be kept in captivity?