Harvesting Nemo

pedzola

pedzola

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Aug 26, 2005
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Growing concern for Hawaii's aquarium fish trade:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/10/10/harvesting.nemo.ap/index.html


As a frequent lurker here on the boards, I thought I'd make one of my first contributions about a topic that should be very important to all of us.

Extensive harvesting of tropical species, both fresh and saltwater, goes on around the world. We've all heard the stories of fish that have been harvested into extinction in the wild, and now only exist in home aquariums.

As a relative "newbie" to the hobby (I've been keeping fish for less than a year), I think it's very important to educate the general fishkeeping public about the plight of our beloved pets.

I am planning to avoid buying any fish that is not "captive-bred," and I would encourage all of you to do the same. Yes, it is already difficult to find the "right" fish for your tank without having to worry about where they came from, but by doing your part to help conserve the worlds reefs and tropical ecosystems, you will be preserving the hobby for generations to come.

We should all encourage our local fish stores to make their suppliers/sources public. One web site that highlights tank-bred fish, corals, and inverts is:
http://www.liveaquaria.com


Thanks for listening. How bout a sticky? :cool: This could go in the freshwater forum as well.
 
I agree in principle, and the majority of my SW fish are captive-bred, as are most of my corals. On the other hand, there are some very poor people in the western pacific whose livelihood comes from collecting livestock for the trade. There are organizations like the Marine Aquarium Council , that are trying to certify fish are caught in appropriate ways, and others, like Reef Protection International, that are trying to educate aquarists on the species that should not be purchased. The yellow tang is on their "do not buy" list, e.g., because of overharvesting.

There are also other methods, like post-larval growout. Basically catching larvae, and rearing them in tanks. The impact is small, because it's a stage with high natural mortality, but one can rear species that are normally difficult to breed in captivity and have them acclimated for aquarium life. I would love to see more of this.

The key is sustainability. One component is captive rearing, but remember that impoverished people who live next to reefs need to use them for something, and catching tangs (or whatever) is better than a lot of alternatives.


Anyway, you're right that we need to create a demand for environmentally sound products. ALways surprises me when someone will pay a little less for a fish of unknown origin, rather than a CB or certified fish, and then whine about mysterious death or disease.
 
Thanks for your thoughtful response, and for those informative links!

The initiatives to regulate the aquarium trade are commendable, but more can always be done, and there will always be those individuals that skirt regulations as well.

I'm not saying that the blame rests completely with the fishermen. Of course, like you said, they are just people trying to make a living like anyone else. But at the very least we could hope these individuals would be educated about proper techniques to promote the longevity of the reef/ecosystem that they rely on.

I like the wording that you used... "we need to create a demand for environmentally sound products." Whether this means captive-bred, certified in some way, or something else, I just want to be able to do my part to protect ornamental species in the wild.

:dive2:
 
I Too think that we need to advance our knowledge about harvesting. I believe that the concept of harvesting larvae is great. The majority of the larvae is either killed, or lost and left for dead. If we could manage to harvest them and hatch them, then we could release half and keep half. this way there would be more in the waters, and more in our tanks....
Also If you keep fish from a baby it is more likely that they will spawn in a tank. Most marine fish today are wild caught because it is very difficult to get babies in captivity...
 
Pardon my ignorance but aren't "baby fish" actually just small fishes... are they really "larvae?" That makes me think of insects and worms...
 
Fishies go through a metamorphosis too. Not as drastic as frogs or insects, but a hormonally-dependent change from a larva to a juvenile fish.
 
LordsSoilder said:
If you want a good idea about the Larvae thing check out the bigining of "Finding Nemo" and watch lil Nemo squirm...
Click to expand...


lol... never saw it. As you can tell I will not be farming my own fish anytime soon. lol
 
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