"MerMay" is a popular internet challenge that takes place during May in which both artists follow a list of prompts to create their own mermaid characters. Each year there is a wide range of lists with relatively new prompts to challenge both artists and authors.
In 2022 I took part in a unique "MerMay" challenge in which participants had to create an original character every week of May, with each week being focused on a different set of issues. Week 1 focused on the harm of overfishing, week 2 was on disease and the mass extinctions they often cause, week 3 was for the disastrous effects of oil spills, and finally week 4 was the devastation caused by habitat destruction.
Each prompt required research on what marine animals were effected by every issue and they were effected. The choice for week 1 was easy as I was already rather well versed in the effects of over fishing, and chose to represent a shark as they are often victims of bycatch or get hooks stuck in their mouths. When sharks are intentionally caught, it is often times it's purely for their fins, which are promptly cut off and the shark is then thrown back into the ocean to die a slow and painful death.
The second prompt required a little more research as I was not as well versed in the subjects of disease and mass extinction. Whilst researching I learned about Fraser's dolphin, one of which had been found stranded on Maui in 2018. This then lead scientists discovering a new strand of morbillivirus- a disease that's been known to for its deadly outbreaks among marine mammals. This diseased threatened not only Fraser's dolphins but the lives of all other marine mammals that live in Hawaiian waters.
The third Character was another difficult one for me; not because I wasn't well versed in the subject of oil spills but because oil spill affect nearly all marine life. However, I learned that oil spills on coast lines tended to be more destructive as the shallower waters meant marine life tend to stay closer to the surface where the oil sits.
While other animals may relocate after an oil spill, sea lions are very territorial and will instead remain in the dangerous waters. This puts them at a greater risk of getting covered in the oil, essentially ruining their natural insolation and exposing them to the elements. The oil can also cause respiratory issues, or even worse suffocate the marine mammals. Sea lions are also at risk of accidentally consuming the oil when they breach the surface, effectively poisoning the marine mammals.
For the final week I touched on the destruction of coral reefs, which is yet another environmental issue that effects a wide range of sea creatures. Habitat destruction in the ocean poses many of the same issues as it does on land; coral reefs in particular are a large source of both food and shelter for a wide range of underwater organisms. One of these organisms is clown fish, who have a symbiotic relationship with the sea anemones that make their homes on the hard surfaces of coral reefs. The immobilizing stings of the anemone keep the clown fish safe from predators, the clown fish in turn chase away predators of the anemone and eat harmful parasites.
However, an increase of pollution has not only harmed the reefs as a whole but also negatively impacted the way anemones grow and develop. In areas heavily impacted by pollution the anemones' tentacles are often found either missing or deformed. These deformed tentacles would already leave both the anemone and clown fish at a higher risk of predators, but to make matters worse they also have a lower number of stinging cells. This leaves both anemones and the clown fish without a way to protect themselves from predators; it leaves the clown fish without a home.
Prior to this challenge I almost solely created work utilizing line art with the exception being pieces for coursework that forbade it. However, I had decided to try something new and push myself with this challenge by going completely lineless. This challenge is also where I began putting more thought into the background of my pieces, placing my characters in a scene rather than an empty space; at least that was the case from week two onwards.
