Impacts on the hobby

[stratos21ss]

Guess this is nothing new, but I have noticed some anti reef aquarium articles here and there..Is this a new trend, or old news? Here's an extreme example:

 

http://www.seashepherd.org/editorials/edit..._070814_1p.html

 

And here's a bill introduced in Hawaii to restrict future ornamental fish catching - with section 1c being key:

 

http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2008/bills/SB3225_.htm

 

 

Is this something that will have effects on the hobby or just on the peripherals of it??

[BeltwayBandit]

The first article is the typical uninformed anti-aquarium rant. It makes some salient points, but it also interjects a lot of falsehoods. For example stating that a yellow tang will only live ~2 years in an aquarium under perfect conditions. That is patently untrue. It is this type of behavior that I find reprehensible with the so-called environmentalists. The fact that they routinely resort to blatant lies in order to scare people to make their points. You can make a very strong argument for conservation without resorting to lies. When you lie you destroy all credibility. (This is not a rant against all environmental organizations, it is a rant against sea shepherd and the other extreme groups out there. FYI sea shepherd are the folks that go out and ram/sink whaling ships and the like and they think that Greenpeace are a bunch of wimps. Just for some perspective on the source.)

 

The bill that you linked to is probably necessary. I know of no industry where wild/native stocks are harvested that will not be overexploited without some government intervention. Its sad, but true. There are people out there who will catch/kill/cut down every exploitable item without regard to future use. Thus, government regulation is necessary. In the long run it will mean more expensive fish, but it will also hopefully mean that we will still have access to them. Catch limits are better than an outright ban.

[ctenophore]

Unfortunately the guy has a valid point. I doubt any reefs around the world are being used sustainably for the ornamental industry. I think between better overseas reef management (farming and collection) along with domestic farming and breeding, we can create a balance that doesn't result in species loss and reef degradation. I believe that reef aquaria are important educational and inspirational tools to enlighten the majority of people who will never see a wild reef. After all, we only protect what we love.

 

I got an email from one of the wholesalers I get broodstock from regarding the Hawaii ornamental fish bill, urging me to call the sponsor's office to voice my opposition. But honestly, I'm of the opposite opinion. I support that bill, because it will force us to a) take better care of the fish we have and b) figure out how to breed them in captivity. I know the UF aquaculture research department was considering a yellow tang breeding study, but I'm not sure how far they got with it.

 

I'm doing only corals right now, but I'd eventually like to start working on invert breeding and eventually fish at some point, once we get the coral facility fully operational. I think it is possible for the marine hobby to be near 100% captive bred, from corals to inverts to fish. I just hope we can get it worked out in time.

[OUsnakebyte]

The first article is the typical uninformed anti-aquarium rant. It makes some salient points, but it also interjects a lot of falsehoods. For example stating that a yellow tang will only live ~2 years in an aquarium under perfect conditions. That is patently untrue. It is this type of behavior that I find reprehensible with the so-called environmentalists.

 

Agreed, especially with the last point.

 

 

The fact that they routinely resort to blatant lies in order to scare people to make their points. You can make a very strong argument for conservation without resorting to lies. When you lie you destroy all credibility. (This is not a rant against all environmental organizations, it is a rant against sea shepherd and the other extreme groups out there. FYI sea shepherd are the folks that go out and ram/sink whaling ships and the like and they think that Greenpeace are a bunch of wimps. Just for some perspective on the source.)

 

Yup. It's unfortunate that the underlying message of these extremist groups all too often gets buried behind their tactics. I always scoff at groups like PETA who pickett and oppose zoos and aquariums. For many species on the brink of extinction, a zoo or aquarium driven Species Survival Plan (SSP) - combined with possible or future reintroduction - is often a last hope. Sadly, zoos and/or aquariums may very well be the last place many species will exist in the future.

 

And, while I vehemently oppose whaling, I would never sink a whaling ship... yikes!

 

 

The bill that you linked to is probably necessary. I know of no industry where wild/native stocks are harvested that will not be overexploited without some government intervention. Its sad, but true. There are people out there who will catch/kill/cut down every exploitable item without regard to future use.

 

"Doubly" and "triply" agree. This is where the "reduce" of "reduce, reuse, recycle" comes into play the biggest, I believe. Unfortunately, with a global population looking to reach 9-10 billion in the very foreseeable future... well...??? I guess no one said this was gonna be easy.

 

 

 

Thus, government regulation is necessary. In the long run it will mean more expensive fish, but it will also hopefully mean that we will still have access to them. Catch limits are better than an outright ban.

 

In general or for this case of yellow tangs? I think catch limits vs a ban really have to be determined on a case by case basis.

 

 

 

Unfortunately the guy has a valid point. I doubt any reefs around the world are being used sustainably for the ornamental industry.

 

He does, and I ponder this exact feeling every single day. I have serious concerns regarding sustainability and the hobby. We continually hear about species being depleted, local extinctions, etc. - the Bangaii Cardinal and Elegance Coral come to mind. It's easy to say in this case that this guy is an extremist, nutcase, etc. But, does he have valid concerns - concerns that need to be addressed? Sure.

 

At the end of the day, none of us want to admit that we are a stressor on an ecosystem half a world away. Any take is a stressor. The upside is that local economies will (hopefully) see their reefs as sources of income and strive to protect them.

 

The problem lies in determining what level is sustainable. In the past, fisheries used Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) to determine fish catch limits. That turned out to be no good, leaving several fisheries in decline. I believe Optimal Sustainable Yield is now used...??? But again, the difficulty lies in determining those numbers while also trying to estimate how much of a given stock remains.

 

What baffles me even more is that yellow tangs are now being exported as a FOOD ITEM?!?!?! What? I'm surprised it's not for yellow tang fin soup...

 

 

 

I think between better overseas reef management (farming and collection) along with domestic farming and breeding, we can create a balance that doesn't result in species loss and reef degradation. I believe that reef aquaria are important educational and inspirational tools to enlighten the majority of people who will never see a wild reef. After all, we only protect what we love.

 

Agreed. And for that matter, I also believe that a zoo and/or aquarium is nothing without a conservation message. Without it, it is just the circus.

 

 

I'm doing only corals right now, but I'd eventually like to start working on invert breeding and eventually fish at some point, once we get the coral facility fully operational. I think it is possible for the marine hobby to be near 100% captive bred, from corals to inverts to fish. I just hope we can get it worked out in time.

 

I'd love to see this happen.

 

 

 

What's really missing from this discussion is the effects that endemics suffer. Typically, with a limited range (as the definition would suggest), endemics will likely always suffer the most from exploitation and have the most to gain from protection.

 

Cheers

Mike