The words "naked celebrities" are sure to generate a lot more traffic than "Save the Bluefin Tuna," which is why we're running a picture of naked celebrities (who are naked, by the way, and celebrities) instead of simply calling attention to the problem of the fast-disappearing ocean fish.
Stocks of Bluefin Tuna are fading fast, and with a recent market survey suggesting an overwhelming majority of the fish available on the Japanese market are immature juveniles, it's likely the things could fall below the level of a viable genetic population soon.
From the Telegraph:
Celebrities who have already seen the film were so shocked that many have posed naked for the acclaimed photographer Ian Rankin to raise awareness.
Greta Scacchi, who took part alongside Emilia Fox and Terry Gilliam, urged consumers to only buy sustainable fish to help stocks of all fish recover as well as the bluefin tuna.
"The film is based on meticulous and accurate research and it is shocking to hear the experts reporting that if we continue with current fishing methods – a free for all, largely unregulated plundering of the sea – the prediction is that within 40 years the sea will be inhabited only by worms and jellyfish," she said
I'm all for saving the bluefin tuna, but wonder exactly why it is we're forced to rely on the participation of celebrities - most of whom seemed to know nothing at all about the problem until they were shocked into awareness.
Are California's salmon stocks due to disappear from the face of the earth - at least until Pamela Anderson decides to dedicate her next amateur sex video to Klamath Dam removal?
Is Rock Snot going to continue to rule the world until Eric Clapton issues a call for guitar wannabees the world over to lash out at the slimy invasive?
As a culture, we seem to place a lot of stock in what celebrities do, forgetting that they're mostly famous because they act or entertain (or simply shock). They're like the population in general (some are nice, some are smart, some are stupid, and some are real assholes), and if you've ever endured one of those "name the top fly fishing celebrities" threads on a message board, you'll wonder why it is so many apparently look for validation from a bunch of actors.
So while we're happy to have the "Naked Celebrity" traffic, we'll end with "Save the Bluefin Tuna - naked or not."