Well, I can’t figure out how to keep my animated tuna fish out of the fishing nets, but I guess that’s the point of Ocean Survivor, a new videogame from the Conserve Our Ocean Legacy (COOL) coalition.

I think it’s really great that the groups are trying to get their message out this way. It’s a valiant effort to reach out to a younger generation. The piece closes by telling players what they can do — sign a petition to somebody.

Now I’ll pick on the group. The name is weak. They give up too much for the COOL acronym. That’s because “legacy” is not a water word that works. Americans are profoundly unresponsive to messages that mix history and nature protection. They nod and listen politely while we tell our stories of legacies, heritage, traditions, and other nostalgia for yesteryear, and then they go back to their usual business. 

If you really want people’s attention, talk about the future.  When will there be no more tuna? When will it be too late to do something about this?

If COOL simply must have a memorable acronym, they could call themselves  something like “A Living Ocean Future Trust.” (ALOFT).

Hat tip to M.C. for spotting the game.