neverfinished
Community Member
Cyanide Fish Collecting Methods
Saltwater ornamental fish and corals are among the most beautiful specimens available for retail purchase. Many people own saltwater fish tanks, and thanks to advancements in technology and knowledge, they are now able to have corals in their home tanks. Not many people take the time to understand how the fish gets to their local fish store, including me when I first became infatuated with this hobby. I have been in this hobby for a relatively short amount of time, and have so much passion for it, that I now work in the saltwater retail industry. I enjoy receiving new shipments of corals and fish every week, it is like Christmas every time I open a new box. Even for the short amount of time I have been in this hobby, I have come to see trends of fish and corals that come through my doors: both good and bad. I order fish and corals from a number of different wholesalers, of whom, I have never thought of asking about their collection methods. The longer I am in this hobby the more I really think about responsible collection of fish and corals. I want to make sure that we conserve the reefs that we have left and replenish the ones humankind and Mother Nature have destroyed. People take for granted the beauty and necessity of coral reefs. Coral reefs make up less than one percent of the planet, yet they are home to a vast majority of the oceans inhabitants. Coral reefs provide sanctuary and food for marine life. Coral reefs are the most diverse areas on the planets, and many smaller island nations rely on these reefs for their survival.There has been much concern since the 70’s about the fish collection practices that have been used mainly in Taiwan and the Philippines. It is very hard for a fisherman to make a living collecting only a couple of marine ornamental fish a day, so a new technique was employed in the 60’s. Cyanide, yes, cyanide has been used since the early 60’s in the collection of marine fish. There are many concerns with using this method of collecting. It is thought, even though it is now illegal, that using cyanide in the collecting process is still implemented today in some areas: mainly the Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan. What is cyanide, and how does it affect the fish and surrounding environment it is used in? Cyanide is an asphyxiant. It basically works by depleting the blood cells of oxygen, causing the fish to suffocate and pass out. A dose of cyanide can be lethal dependent on the amount issued. Early studies, in the 80’s, of cyanide use in fish collection, by David Bellwood, showed that cyanide affected the intestines of the marine fish. While showing no abnormal visual signs, he concluded that the cyanide had affected the digestive system of the fish. The fish in the experiment were eating but could not properly digest of the food, therefore, eventually starving to death from lack of nutrition. There is still much debate about Bellwood’s analysis, “…it does not list the number of fish in either the experimental or control groups nor does it offer any statistical analysis of whether the differences noted were significant.†Although Bellwood would later refute his early works, his studies laid the grounds for others to perform trials of the effects of cyanide on fish.
Bellwood performed more tests later in the 90’s. These tests have more validity than his earlier work which did not contain a large population group. Bellwood’s study comprised a total of 144 marine fish, in which it was composed of nine classes. Each class had a different environment of control. The end results concluded that 37% of the 144 fish died from cyanide, which was 10% more than any other control group, which included stressed fish, and even a starvation control group.
Cyanide not only effects the fish it is being used on, but also the surrounding environments. While initial estimates concluded that only one to five ppm of cyanide were being used in open waters, it was later confirmed by the commercial collectors that larger doses were used, upwards of 2,500 ppm of cyanide. The large dose of cyanide quickly dilutes when used in the large ocean areas where fish are being collected, but there is still the initial large dose. In an article by Ret Talbot, he notes that “While many cyanide-collected fishes make a short-term recovery during holding in fresh seawater before delivery to the export facility, a significant number die either on the reef or on the boat as a direct result of acute poisoning.†Cyanide affects corals as well, which are also living animals. The effects of cyanide on coral reefs are far more detrimental. Cyanide poisoning can cause coral bleaching, which, if the coral is not in a healthy state at the time can cause death. Coral bleaching is when a coral loses is zooxanthellae, which is the algae which live inside most corals giving them their colors, and provides the energy for corals to grow. Cyanide is far more detrimental to corals, because a fish can have a chance to try and swim away from a cyanide laden area, whereas corals cannot. So, with all this information about the harmful effects of cyanide, why is it that this practice is still being used today?
Money is the big motive that pushes local collectors to still implement cyanide even though it is illegal. The more fish that are collected in a given day, the more money the local collector can get. The collector only cares about the fish’s health from his collection point to the distributor, after that it is not his problem, he gets paid either way. In fact, if some of his fish die, it is actually job security for him. If they lose fish, they have to replace them, keeping the local collector on business.
Many initiatives have been implemented in order to eliminate this practice. Programs such as Ecovitality’s GOODFISH program aims to eliminate the cyanide collection by implementing two approaches. The first would be to increase the profitability for the local collector if he used only nets to collect the fish. The second would be to try and convince the buyers of these fish to decrease the profitability of cyanide caught fish. Although great ideas, they were short lived and the GOODFISH program could not survive. Jamie Baquero’s article explains why certain programs did not last, “The prices middlemen and exporters were paying for Net-Caught fish were the same they were getting before for cyanide collected fish.†This made no sense for the fisherman collecting the marine fish, so they eventually reverted back to using cyanide in the collecting methods. Many retailers loved the idea of net-only caught fish, but still reverted back to purchasing fish from other wholesalers who might use cyanide in their collection process, because prices were cheaper. Very few dealers are willing to pay the higher price because it cuts into their profit margins. As much as we would like to purchase from sustainably collected fish and corals, sometimes it is just not feasible to do so for a retailer.
More initiatives are in place now than what where even five years ago. I am able to personally order fish from a company which uses a method called “short supply chainâ€, meaning that the fish they collect arrive at my location with fewer middle men, which in turn means less stress to the fish, and also a guarantee about their collecting methods. There is also a big push for aqua-cultured corals and captive bred fish. Many retailers, including myself, offer aqua-cultured corals, meaning that they are grown and raised in captivity. This helps reduce the stress of collecting wild caught specimens both in fish, and in corals.
Even though the practice of collecting fish using cyanide is still used today, I believe that it is not as common as it was five years ago. Customers today are being educated by retailers who care more for the fish and corals health than the actual sell of the fish. Understanding the impact that cyanide has on the health and lifespan of the fish, and as well as the impact it has on the coral reefs themselves, gives the customer more knowledge and helps the customer choose what specimens they purchase. If customers make the conscious decision to purchase sustainably caught marine fish and aqua-cultured corals, then they are still enjoy the hobby while protecting the wild coral reefs and the inhabitants that occupy it.
Work Cited
Baquero, Jaime. “The Trade of Ornamental Fish From the Philippines.†Reefs.org. Reefs.org, 21 feb. 1999. Web. 20 June 2012.
Pro, Steven. “Cyanide and Its Unfortunate Use in the Marine Ornamental Industry.†ReefKeeping. ReefKeeping Magazine, 2008. Web. 20 June 2012
Talbot, Ret. “New Cyanide Detection Test: ‘A game changer…€™â€ Coral. Coral Magazine, 27 April 2012. Web. 20 June 2012.
