SENIOR MOMENTS by Grandpa Dick
Some Fish Don’t Lay Eggs
Pastor Frank is enjoying being a new Grandpa. His sermon the other day was all about how God guides the formation of a little embryo through the process of development. Every tiny organ, limb and hair starts to grow into a team of parts that becomes a perfect human being. His detailed description reminded me of something that happened while I was fishing in the surf at Carpinteria Beach.
I was fishing one day, and had caught a couple of small (8 to 10”) surf perch, sometimes called sand ‘red tails’. (Small is a fisherman’s relative term, that usually grows with time). I put them in my bucket as I was busily trying to catch more for a fish fry that night. I looked in the bucket and to my surprise, there were a few little minnows also in the bucket. I first thought I had discovered a natural bait; that the fish were feeding on the minnows. But then I noticed another wonder from GOD- one momma perch was giving birth to a school of little fishes as I watched. WOW.!!
Up to that moment, I had thought that fish laid eggs, usually in sheltered bottom waters, the eggs hatched, the fishes swam off, and lived happily ever after. I knew that some fish, such as grunion, wait until they sense high tide, (some people think they watch for a full moon), then swim as far up on the beach as they can, and dig a hole in the sand, and lay their eggs in the hole. The hatchlings emerge during the next high tide. Sea turtles do the same thing. Other fish species lay their eggs in rock crevasses, and protect them by fighting off predators until the babies hatch. But fish giving live birth was a new one on me.
Then I thought-why am I surprised? GOD created all living things, including the fishes of the sea. (“Let the waters teem with swarms of living creature.. …. Genesis 1:20.) Why wouldn’t HE provide a special way for these fish to reproduce, when the surf in which they live is constantly in turmoil? Of course HE would. We all know that he is in complete control of things that happen, including the birth of human babies as well as little fishes in the sea.
Grandpa Dick
ps. You probably guessed that I let the little momma fishes go back to the sea that day.
