Sea Monkey Harvest

So I was an especially gullible kid who wished in vain that my parents would let me buy some sea monkeys that I saw advertised in Popular Mechanics.  Never happened.    Hold that thought.

Below is a foto of the Great Salt Lake.  And before I came here, I’d heard that it stunk and held

no life.  But how

then was it also a major bird migration path. 

Doubleclick on this foto and see all the birds.  And yes the water near shore was black with flies and other insects that–unlike gnats–disperse when you approach.  All this brings up this

display outside Dave’s Gonzo Kayak rental on Antelope Island. To my amazement, I learned that Great Salt Lake has a fishery and this is an older, obsolete vessel used in the harvesting of brine shimp . . .

aka sea-monkeys!!  Click here for a foto of a more up-to-date vessel, the likes of which I’d love to see.

Click here for a feature from High Country News on the fishery, here for the site of the GSL Brine Shrimp Cooperative, and here for some starter economics on the industry.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.