Gurnard
I've built a physical fish, Gurnard, that is roughly the shape of a Gurnard. It consists of gubbins to drive 4 screens attached to the torso and the eyes. The piece examines the beauty and exploitation of fish.
The eyes blink and give facts about fish eyes.
The screens on either side of the fish examine Biological Beauty and Exploitation - with a series of websites that scroll interspersed with video to contrast the extraordinary beauty of the Gurnard and how it is exploited without regard for its destruction or the destruction of its environment.
Artist: Ralph Wort
Fish Profile:
Gurnard or Sea Robin
Tub or Yellow Gurnard - Chelidonichthys lucerne
Red Gurnard - Chelidonichthys cuculus
Grey Gurnard - Eutrigla gurnardus
Conservation status
There are 3 Gurnards found around the British Isles.
Gurnards are strange looking fish with large bony heads. They use modified fin rays as ‘feeling’ legs as they sense their way around the seabed tasting and feeling for prey.
The Cornwall Good Seafood Guide says ‘For years they were thrown back or used as bait by fishermen’ but are now more popular to eat.
The IUCN list them as of Least Concern on their Red List.
The MCS recommend Avoiding Tub Gurnard as ‘population sizes may be too small and there is no management in place to prevent overfishing’. While populations of both Red and Grey Gurnard are OK but Need Improvement according to the MCS rating.
They also highlight that otter trawls cause damage to the seabed and that bycatch includes some vulnerable species.