This is the story of the scientists who rediscovered the coelacanth. This fish had only been known from the fossil record until 1938 when Marjorie Courtney-Latimer, a young curator at East London Museum, South Africa found what she suspected to be a coelacanth in amongst a catch of fish that she'd been invited to look at in case there was anything there of interest to the museum.
The book then follows the search to rediscover this unique fish for science. Outwith the scientific world, fishermen had been familiar with the fish, though it wasn't considered a good fish to catch, as it didn't taste good. Once the fish was rediscovered by science, it became much more worthwhile for the fishermen to catch it, as scientists and wealthy collectors suddenly started paying large sums of money for it.
Although I totally understand the need for scientists to study the fish, throughout reading this book, I felt the risk of overfishing to the current populations of coelacanths. It seems though, that the species' elusive habits, that hid it from science for so long, will continue to protect it.
This is a fascinating book, giving insights into both the coelacanth itself and the scientific research and rivalries around it.
A Fish Caught in Time, by Samantha Weinberg, published (1999) by Fourth Estate.
**
The latest post on my Crafty Green Poet Substack is all about my favourite birds, swifts, you can read it here.
3 comments:
I would probably read that, it's a cryptid that wasn't a myth
The story of Marjorie Courtney-Latimer finding that first coelacanth among a random pile of fish is such a mind-blowing moment in scientific history. It is deeply ironic that a species survived quietly for millions of years only to face the threat of overfishing the second it became valuable to collectors and researchers. The fact that their elusive nature is still their best defense mechanism feels oddly poetic and comforting. Heading over to your Substack next, because swifts are absolutely mesmerizing to watch when they finally return for the summer.
I love books about natural history and this one sounds fascinating. Thanks for the review!
Amalia
xo
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