Ret_Talbot

Hey, Guys. Thanks for the discussion regarding my article in the current issue of CORAL Magazine. For those of you who have not seen it in the print magazine, there is an earlier online version that is pretty similar. You can find that here. While the topic is indeed in my wheelhouse and something I have been discussing based on my reporting for several years, the point of this article is to highlight the fact that this is now being reported in peer-reviewed scientific literature. That's relatively new and quite exciting for sustainably-minded aquarists to consider. Now the caveat: For those who didn't read the piece, I state clearly in the article that the benefits of marine aquarium fisheries to ecosystems as discussed in the scientifc paper are dependednt upon comprehensive trade reform. Having said that, the paper does add to a growing body of peer-reviewed scientific literature laying out a clear path forward toward a truly sustainable and robust aquarium trade. Hope you guys are well! Best, Ret

Hey, Guys. My name is Ret Talbot, and I am a writer and photographer who frequently reports on the hobby and the trade in general. The picture at the top of this thread is a picture I snapped of this PNG lightning maroon clownfish when I was in Papua New Guinea last month. It is an amazing fish for sure! I was in PNG researching a story on the SEASMART Program (should show up in the May/April issue of CORAL Magazine), and I have been following the fish from the reef to Matt Pedersen's aquarium. This is a cool story in many ways, as it was a sustainably collected fish, the fisher was well compensated and the retailer who handled the sale did so in a manner that put the hobby before the bottom line. This will be a good story to follow, and you can do so (as others have said) on Matt's blog for the so-called "The Lightning Project": http://www.lightning-maroon-clownfish.com/ Regarding the price, offers well in excess of $5000 were made. Reefbuilders reported that the price of the fish when it was originally listed in Blue Zoo Aquatics' Collector's Choice store was $2500. The actual price has, to the best of my knowledge, not been publicly disclosed. For more on the background of this fish, check out the lengthy article published by Blue Zoo that traces the fish from the reef: http://www.bluezooaquatics.com/resources.asp?show=416 You may also like to see the shorter article at the SEASMART website: http://www.seasmart.ecoez.com/spotlight.html Finally, for a little background on PNG and SEASMART, you can look at the blog from my trip, which is published here: http://www.rettalbot.com/onassignment/PNG.html Oh yea, and here's one more picture I snapped of the guy while still in PNG. :-) Enjoy!