Exploitation of marine fish and invertebrates, Part I

[Coral Health and Monitoring Program]

From: bd268 at freenet.carleton.ca (Jaime Baquero) 
To: coral-list at reef.aoml.erl.gov 
Subject: Exploitation of marine fish and invertebrates 
Reply-To: bd268 at freenet.carleton.ca 

Part I. 

I'd like to share with you some thoughts and insights learned during 
the last 9 years in which I've been studying the exploitation of marine 
fish and invertebrates for the marine aquarium trade. 

 In the last decade, the marine aquarium technology has undergone a 
remarkable transformation. Along with the introduction of new filtration 
systems and the application in the marine hobby of existing technology , 
the aquarist has found the means to create and control better conditions 
to keep in captivity the aquarium inhabitants. 

As a result of this new technology, the marine aquarium hobby also reflects 
a transformation, from the keeping of only fish and a few invertebrates to  
the captivity of "artificial minireefs". 

Intensive commercial exploitation of hundreds of species of marine fish 
and invertebrates as well as "live rock", during the las decade, to satisfy 
the demand of aquarium hobbyists, have become controversial issues among 
marine biologists, the scientific community, environmentally oriented groups, 
aquarium hobbyists ant the general public. 

As a consequence of this "NEW AQUARIUM TECHNOLOGY" and the extensive diversity 
of marine life available for the artificial minireef keeping, the marine  
aquarium industry has expanded to a large profitable enterprise. 

The use of sodium cyanide, the most environmentally unfriendly method of 
collecting fish for the marine aquarium trade, continues to contribute to 
the degradation of coral reefs in the Philippines and has now spread to 
Indonesia. 

This issue has been the subjet of many articles and discussion within the 
aquarium industry and among aquarium hobbyists for many years but their 
contribution to solve the problem has been very modest. 

Jaime Baquero 
Marine Biologist