ABSTRACT
Deep in the waters off the east coast of New Jersey, USA,2 lives a creature called the ganka. Ask almost any commercial shark fisher who lives in a coastal town abutting the fishing grounds and they will describe the morphology and behaviour of the animal in great detail. Gankas look like a cross between a cuttlefish and an octopus. Indeed, ganka young are indistinguishable from cuttlefish young, and occasionally surface in the gillnets used to hunt shark. As gankas approach maturity, however, they grow evasive and somewhat mischievous. They also grow short, sharp, teeth. Some fishermen sport nasty scars from ganka bites. Gankas possess great dexterity, their long tentacles enabling them to move through water, and even onto islands and boats, with ease. Though not restricted to salt water, they prefer brine, never venturing too close to the mainland so as to avoid the abundant concentrations of fresh water flowing into the ocean from rivers. The ganka’s unusually resilient digestive system allows them to eat a range of non-organic substances including plastic, steel and nylon. This possibly indicates a physiological need for roughage, but also reflects their curious natures and hearty appetites. Gankas are a pest to fishermen. When boats are laying off the gear (waiting
for gillnets to ensnare passing shark), and the crew are sleeping, particularly at night, mature gankas have been known to climb up the anchor rope and onto the deck of the boat. Once aboard, according to experienced fishermen, they will ‘eat anything that’s not tied down’, including ropes, floats and gaffs (sticks with a hooked or barbed point). They have a particular penchant for gumboots. In order to thwart the pillaging, someone must stay awake, on ‘ganka watch’. Usually – indeed, without exception – the person who goes on first watch is an inexperienced, uninitiated, ‘green’ deckhand.
