From Reef to Retail a Warning!

[tangyluv]

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...fish-trade-relies-heavily-on-wild-populations

 

[bubbgee]

good to know. Thanks!

 

[rtparty]

Assuming the numbers are even accurate, is that even a shock? There are very few fish that are captive bred and they can’t breed nearly enough

 

[Macropharyngodon]

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...fish-trade-relies-heavily-on-wild-populations

All the more reason to start CB projects.

 

[Biokabe]

The usual sensationalist hit piece, designed to make people feel bad about something that isn't really a huge problem, full of graphics that overstate the impact. Uses big numbers out of context to make people feel bad, completely ignoring the context of wild fish populations and how small the impact of ornamental collection is compared to both overall fish populations and the impact of other human activities on fish populations.

We do need more captive breeding, and there is much room for improvement in both fishery management and the overall ornamental marine supply chain. That's true. But pieces like these don't do a great job of advocating for those types of improvements - instead, it's just fear-mongering to drum up clicks and drive up animosity against an industry that's largely benign while ignoring the elephant in the room that is commercial fishing and environmental degradation. Pieces like this are more likely to get the industry shut down rather than improved.

 

[Macropharyngodon]

The usual sensationalist hit piece, designed to make people feel bad about something that isn't really a huge problem, full of graphics that overstate the impact. Uses big numbers out of context to make people feel bad, completely ignoring the context of wild fish populations and how small the impact of ornamental collection is compared to both overall fish populations and the impact of other human activities on fish populations.

We do need more captive breeding, and there is much room for improvement in both fishery management and the overall ornamental marine supply chain. That's true. But pieces like these don't do a great job of advocating for those types of improvements - instead, it's just fear-mongering to drum up clicks and drive up animosity against an industry that's largely benign while ignoring the elephant in the room that is commercial fishing and environmental degradation. Pieces like this are more likely to get the industry shut down rather than improved.

TYSM for writing this

 

[Hawaiian AQ]

The usual sensationalist hit piece, designed to make people feel bad about something that isn't really a huge problem, full of graphics that overstate the impact. Uses big numbers out of context to make people feel bad, completely ignoring the context of wild fish populations and how small the impact of ornamental collection is compared to both overall fish populations and the impact of other human activities on fish populations.

We do need more captive breeding, and there is much room for improvement in both fishery management and the overall ornamental marine supply chain. That's true. But pieces like these don't do a great job of advocating for those types of improvements - instead, it's just fear-mongering to drum up clicks and drive up animosity against an industry that's largely benign while ignoring the elephant in the room that is commercial fishing and environmental degradation. Pieces like this are more likely to get the industry shut down rather than improved.

you are correct in your assessment of this being designed to cause guilt but to also shift habits at best, but cause closures at worst.The truth is this is mostly all misinformation. If you look at the fish species that are captured, where they hail from, check the IUCN status, and speak with professionals involved in the trade itself or the scientists directly involved in these fisheries, you’ll soon understand what’s actually happening here. These fish are not endangered, they’re not even threatened on a conservation level. Furthermore, the life history of these fish and their reproductive strategies, all but ensures that they’re very capable of absorbing depredation, or harvesting without having much of any population impacts. I agree that fishery management is wise and a solid management plan backed up with empirical evidence is the proper way to ensure that their environment is protected. Where these fish come from usually has limited economic opportunity so well managed industry that is low impact such as aquariums, is smart thinking and good business. Take that away and you will see more degrading things take form and there’s always unintended consequences that aren’t anticipated. As far as aquaculture goes, I support that too, within reason. I see well managed fisheries with sustainable principles as the core of our hobby/industry as it always has been with aquaculture working in tango, breeding fish for distinct reasons. Reasons such as poor adaptability to captivity, difficult extraction from the wild, long transit times/poor shipping realities, rare in the wild, or caught at extreme depths and hat place fisher in harms way. Things like this. Aquaculture shouldn’t be focused on doing things that nature provides in abundance as long he effort we spend to culture fish is immense and not impact neutral. A poor analogy would be we shouldn’t be breeding houseflies or ants, but butterflies. These two things, fisheries and aquaculture, working together can address our supply chain in such a way that the hobby and industry truly is low impact and more than sustainable.