Yeah, maybe 80% made it from the wholesaler to you, but from the ocean to the hobbyist (or after one year with the hobbyist)? Its probably closer to 80% that don’t survive. I think it’s probably gotten better over the years, catching fish with cyanide is less common, and captive bred fish probably lower that percentage (though I think there is also an inverse with captive bred fish, I don’t have any data on it, but I’ve found that captive bred fish seem to have weaker immune systems and aren’t as hardy as some wild caught fish). Anyway, I think focusing on just one link in the chain isn’t going to give an accurate picture. If 20% was lost on each link of the supply chain, 20% during collection and at the collection site, 20% to and at the wholesaler, 20% to and at the lfs, and 20% to and at the hobbyist, that’s 80%.80% is a HUGGEE overstatement from my LFS experience. We would order from 5-6 different suppliers.
I think among all the suppliers it’s more accurate that 80% MADE the trip, if not more. We got 10-12 boxes on average and usually 1-2 bags per box wasn’t alive. Usually damsels or fire fish gobies or clowns.