March 4, 2008
Staten Island Ferry Fish Dying Already?
Photograph of Staten Island ferry fishes through fish eye by urbanblitz on Flickr
A reported fish fatality in the Staten Island Ferry's newly installed $750,000 fish tanks has spurred a lively discussion about what could be happening to the scaly creatures on SILive's forums. One poster wrote the fish death (perhaps the second) was "possibly a princess parrot fish...By 7:30AM it hadn't become a meal yet, but some of his buddies were starting to show some [interest]."
Hypotheses rolled in: Maybe "he didn't pay off his loan shark," said one. Another suggested, "maybe its a fish serial killer. do fish have an equivalent of dexter?" Could it be a stealthy Ninja fish? Or was it a larger metaphor for life at the Staten Island Ferry terminal?
Finally, another weighed in with a reasonable explanation, (all-caps treatment taken out for sanity's sake), "the tanks are a mini-ecosystem and fish die in the oceans of the world. saltwater tanks take time to set up and time to regulate themselves, losing fish in that process is as common as you having to eat today." But perhaps Alicia Colon will write another article decrying the tanks as a waste of taxpayer money?
|
I gotta say, as silly as I think those tanks are, people seem to absolutely love them. Every time I pass through the ferry terminal there is a crowd around every tank. Some people have even been taking pictures. Everyone is talking about them and children are asking their parents about the fish they are looking at. It may have been an expensive boondoggle, but people are obviously getting a lot of enjoyment out of them and isn't that whole point of public works?
You know what else is a waste of taxpayer money? The S.I. Ferry still being free.
the tanks were sponsored by a local bank, so relax. though they should introduce metro cards for the ferry ride since they could be free transfers anyway and would net a lot of tourist $$$.
I think the whole thing is a great idea, the ferry terminal is one of the most miserable places in all of new york, up there with Penn Station. Anything to bring life to that place is a bonus. Aquariums are awesome and they have a calming effect on people. Anyone who has to pass through that place on a daily basis deserves a little bit of something special to look at. If there's any money left over, I wish they'd put it towards finding the poop stench in the Fulton St station.
Well, the SI ferry is run by the DOT, so transferring it to the MTA may pose a problem.
And does MTA have a limit to the number of free transfers per ride? Staten Islanders already use one transfer when they board a subway train or bus in Manhattan after they ride the bus or train on Staten Island.
As for the fish tanks--they are stupid and I think a greater improvement to the ferry terminal would be to encourage businesses to locate in the vacant shops, but they're already in place and people do seem to like them, so...