Wild Caught vs Captive Bred…

[i cant think]

This is in general however, after reading about the new improvement of CB Purple tangs my interest in this topic spiked. You’re probably wondering ‘what’ that topic is so here it is!
What is the difference between Wild Caught Fish and Captive Bred Fish as soon as CB versions hit markets?

For example;
When the Captive Bred Yellow Tangs came out, it was like the Wild Caught Specimens just never got spoken about again and now, I’m aware Hawaii shut before CB YTs came into circulation however for those who have worked in or maybe own a fish shop, you’re likely to know Yellow Tangs aren’t actually Hawaiian Endemics and can be found in larger quantities around Indonesia. But it’s like WC yellows just went off the market altogether.

So, what is it that happens when the Captive Bred Fish come onto markets?
P.S. I don’t have a YT so enjoy my regal instead as these seem to have followed a similar pattern.

 

[Cthulukelele]

I think at the end of the day in problems like this cost is king. Informed hobbyists make up a fraction of the people buying fish, and even of that fraction a lot don't care about the collection practices of a fish if the cost is still higher. For better or for worse, wild collection will be the norm until it is cheaper to buy a captive bred fish than a wild collected fish.

 

[Biota_Marine]

For the yellow tang I think a big aspect of it is that wild yellow tang aren't readily available, pre-ban estimated 300,000/year yellow tang were exported out of Hawaii and even though small quantaties may be available elsewhere much of the appeal was it was a cheaper popular fish but shipping them from alternative locations is much more expensive and time consuming. Biota in conjunction with the Oceanic Institute were breeding yellow tang pre-ban but obviously ramped up to try to meet the demand for them.

I think similarly with Purple tang the collection locations aren't typically stable so it might be an easier option if QM can increase the numbers to meet the demand it will likely be easier to get them stateside then collection stations around the red sea.

 

[Cthulukelele]

I do eventually see CB fish outcompeting wild caught fish in the markets but only because I think eventually there will be pretty sizeable bans on wild collection or wild collection imports in most places, and gray market only products will drive up wild caught prices to a point of no longer being competitive.

 

[nuxx]

Huge advantage to CB fish are the extremely picky eaters...

 

[Tamberav]

This is in general however, after reading about the new improvement of CB Purple tangs my interest in this topic spiked. You’re probably wondering ‘what’ that topic is so here it is!
What is the difference between Wild Caught Fish and Captive Bred Fish as soon as CB versions hit markets?

For example;
When the Captive Bred Yellow Tangs came out, it was like the Wild Caught Specimens just never got spoken about again and now, I’m aware Hawaii shut before CB YTs came into circulation however for those who have worked in or maybe own a fish shop, you’re likely to know Yellow Tangs aren’t actually Hawaiian Endemics and can be found in larger quantities around Indonesia. But it’s like WC yellows just went off the market altogether.

So, what is it that happens when the Captive Bred Fish come onto markets?
P.S. I don’t have a YT so enjoy my regal instead as these seem to have followed a similar pattern.

Captive yellow tangs were available before hawaii closed fairly regular enough. They just upped breeding to match demand when hawaii closed.

That is all that happened.

If tomorrow wild purple tangs or hippos were no longer available, it is likely they would put more effort into breeding those in great numbers too.

Having a popular fish you can only really get captive bred basically helps pay for all the captive fish that are not very profitable.

 

[Cthulukelele]

Huge advantage to CB fish are the extremely picky eaters...

For sure. Maybe one day biota will start breeding pellet-loving copperband butterfly!

 

[nuxx]

For sure. Maybe one day biota will start breeding pellet-loving copperband butterfly!

Waiting on their Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasses.

I've failed on that fish 4 times in QT.

 

[Tony Thompson]

Just stumbled on this thread as my photo was used on the REEF2REEF Facebook site with a link to this thread. Thanks Reef2 Reef for the attribution to myself in the post, appreciated.

In my experience Captive Bred Ornamental Marines are a niche market. With regards pricing, I think it foolish to attempt to forecast future pricing. Pricing is far more complicated than just production costs and quantities.

The last trade import list I looked at, Captive Bred Clownfish where still generally more expensive than Wild Collected Clowns.?

I seem to recall that when Biota ramped up production of CB YT due to the ban. The price actually increased, not decreased.

Although I personally would argue that, technically Yellow Tangs are not a truly endemic species of Hawaii. I have had this argument before) The gene trail follows the pacific rim and the other Zebrasoma genus. For more information look up studies on genetic distribution zebrasoma flavascens. But as far as collection points and numbers are concerned, Hawaii is the only collection point for the general trade that I am aware of.

There are the odd exception though, Orchid Dotty backs (Pseudochromis fridmani) pricing has generally been very competitive with regards CB and Wild Collected. A number of the species out of Bali Aquarich and Mr. Wen-Ping Su have been in my opinion very competitive, especially the angel fish species.

Aquaculture of Marine Ornamentals needs support, it is increasingly likely that we will need to be up and running now to face the possible implications of the future.

As a hobby and as an industry we need to plan for that future, personally with my experience of the trade, I believe that can only come about through outside legislation.

 

[jasonrusso]

I just bought my first captive bred fish from Biota. A Harlequin Tusk. I've had them before but the larger ones seem to have issues. One was blind, one never really settled in (perhaps cyanide poisoning?)

I got a juvenile 4 years ago and he absolutely thrived until a recent velvet outbreak. I always said I would only get juvenile fish from now on.

You pay more for this captive bred fish, but I know that it wasn't caught with cyanide and it is an Aussie which you can't tell when juvenile. He was eating ferociously the next day.

 

[Slocke]

A lot has to with ease of breeding vs capture take the cleaner wrasse. I assume biota’s are so expensive due to breeding difficulty and while a wild caught costs almost a 1/10 it will continue to be difficult for CB to compete even if a wild one is several times more likely to die.

 

[Biota_Marine]

A lot has to with ease of breeding vs capture take the cleaner wrasse. I assume biota’s are so expensive due to breeding difficulty and while a wild caught costs almost a 1/10 it will continue to be difficult for CB to compete even if a wild one is several times more likely to die.

This is the reason for much of our pricing, time in larval stage, frequency of spawning, success % of spawns, larval development (mouth gape, yolk sac duration, growth rates, ect. ) all play a key factor in how much a fish is going to cost. It helps with species like mandarins and cleaner wrasse because we're filling a immediate need where those fish historically are difficult to keep from the wild.