Guest guest Posted October 7, 2003 Report Share Posted October 7, 2003 ***************************Advertisement*************************** eCentral - Your Entertainment Guide http://www.star-ecentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my) URL: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2003/10/7/features/6408315 & sec=f\ eatures ________________________ Tuesday October 7, 2003 Losing Nemo By TAN CHENG LI Every year, 20 million tropical reef fishes and another 10 million marine animals are plucked from the sea to adorn tanks in homes and public aquariums. Sadly, it's a death sentence for many of these marine creatures which often die during transportation or do not live long in their new unnatural environment. THIS year & #8217;s hit movie Finding Nemo may have inspired a love for marine creatures in people but it has also fuelled an already burgeoning trade in tropical reef fish. Many kids and even adults want a fish for a pet after watching the much-loved computer-animated tale about an anemone fish which ends up in a dentist & #8217;s aquarium. Unknown to many, however, the cute fish swimming in the glass jar was probably netted in a remote reef far away, bagged, packed in a styrofoam box together with other fishes, and flown to pet shops. During the long journey, many would have died. The clown anemone fish is just one of the 1,471 species of tropical reef fish captured for aquariums. Each year, over 20 million of these colourful fish are netted to supply the booming marine aquarium trade, earning cash for poor fishing communities but too often sending the fish to their deaths, a United Nations report said. The report, From Ocean to Aquarium: The Global Trade in Marine Ornamentals, scrutinises the industry following concerns over destructive fishing, over-harvesting, lack of scientific information on collected species, high mortality due to inadequate handling and transportation, as well as threat of extinction. It was released last Tuesday by the United Nations Environment Programme & #8217;s World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). The clown anemone fish and the blue-green damsel fish, both featured in Finding Nemo, top the list as the most traded tropical fishes. “Nemo has created interest but also led to problems,” says Ed Green, one of the report & #8217;s authors in a press statement. He says many children had flushed fish down the toilet in an effort to send them back to sea and parents had mistakenly placed the anemone fish in fresh instead of saline water. Other sought after aquarium species are angel fish, surgeon fish, wrasses, gobies and butterfly fish. Apart from reef fish, another 10 million marine animals from 500 species, including molluscs, shrimps and anemones, are plucked from the sea to adorn tanks in homes and public aquariums. Add to that, some 12 million chunks of stony corals from 140 species. All these bring the annual worth of the aquarium trade to between US$200 and US$330mil (RM760mil to RM1.2bil). The 10 most traded marine invertebrates are topshells, cleaner shrimps, sea anemones, banded coral shrimps, giant clams, blue sea stars, camel shrimps, carpet anemones and hermit crabs. The report culls information from the Global Marine Aquarium Database, a joint effort between UNEP-WCMC, the Marine Aquarium Council (MAC) and various aquarium trade associations. The database contains more than 100,000 records from global aquarium import and export companies. South-East Asia is the main source of ornamental marine species, but an increasing number is being collected from island nations in the Indian and Pacific Oceans such as Fiji, Maldives and Palau. The Philippines is the largest source, providing for 43% of the marine life traded. Next is Indonesia (26%), Solomon Islands (12%), Sri Lanka (5%) and Australia (5%). Malaysia is not listed but an illegal trade exists. Most of the marine animals end up in glass tanks in the United States, Europe and Japan. Reef destruction Coral reefs, often called the rainforests of the seas because of their wealth of marine flora and fauna, are facing a plethora of threats from pollution and sedimentation to coral bleaching, overfishing and tourism. The reefs of South-East Asia are particularly vulnerable. The report warns that uncontrolled capture of reef life for the aquarium trade will compound these problems. Unlike freshwater aquariums where 90% of fish species are currently farmed, the majority of marine aquariums are stocked with wild caught species. Harvesting from the wild, if uncontrolled, can cause irreversible damage to coral reefs, warns Colette Wabnitz, one of the report & #8217;s authors. “A minority of fishermen in countries such as Indonesia use sodium cyanide to capture fish. An almost lethal dose of the poison is squirted into the coral reef where fish shelter. It stuns the fish to allow capture but can also kill coral and other species. The fish may survive the export process but usually die of liver failure soon after being purchased,” she says. The report warns that the global aquarium trade can pose significant risks to coral reef ecosystems. Removal of live rocks (coral rock to which are attached algae and invertebrate species such as anemones, tunicates, sponges, molluscs and worms) can worsen coastal erosion and destroy fish habitat. In Fiji, harvesting of live rocks have reduced some reefs to rubble. In other areas, algae proliferated and fisheries declined. During the collection of coral pieces for trade, many more colonies may be damaged or broken than are actually harvested. Often, corals are broken to ease access to fish for capture. The highly selective nature of the marine aquarium trade causes other problems. A sudden decline of key species such as cleaner fish and cleaner shrimps due to collection for aquariums has led to reduced reef diversity because they are no longer around to remove parasites from reef fish and animals. Aquarists often target the males of fish species because of their brighter colours and more attractive body patterns. The report warns that regular harvesting of only the males of particular populations may lead to biased sex ratios and subsequently, reproductive failure in the species. The report says that although no marine species is known to have been driven to global extinction because of collection for the aquarium trade, studies in Sri Lanka, Kenya, the Philippines, Indonesia, Hawaii and Australia have reported localised depletion of target aquarium species such as butterfly fish and angel fish. Turning the tide The report, however, does not advocate an end to the marine aquarium trade. It points out that a well-managed trade has economic value and opportunities. “It can support long-term conservation and sustainable use of coral reefs in regions where other options for generating revenue are limited,” says UNEP-WCMC director Mark Collins. “Some collection techniques have minimal impact on coral and the industry as a whole is of relatively low volume yet of very high value.” The trade in Maldives illustrates this point. In 2000, 1kg of aquarium fish from the atoll nation was valued at US$500 (RM1,900) whereas 1kg of reef fish harvested for food was worth only US$6 (RM22.80). Similarly, the live coral trade is worth about US$7,000 (RM26,600) per tonne whereas coral harvested for limestone production yielded only US$60 (RM228) per tonne. However, only a handful of countries have put in place regulations to control the collection of marine ornamentals. The report suggests that countries which are major suppliers of reef fish implement harvesting permits, catch quotas, catch size limits and establish protected marine reserves. One way to remove the pressure on wild stocks is by farming commonly traded species. Such culture projects have their merits & #8211; they can be an alternative source of livelihood for fishing communities, thereby integrating conservation and sustainable development objectives. To date, only one-fifth of giant clams, between 1% and 10% of fish and less than 1% of corals in the aquarium trade are cultured. There is a pressing need for more information on species targeted by the ornamental trade, particularly their population dynamics and life history characteristics such as recruitment and growth rates. Combined with accurate trade data, such information is essential when establishing quotas and maximum sustainable yields. “Species that are unsuited to life in aquariums or have low population densities, restricted ranges or life history traits that make them particularly vulnerable to collection, should receive special attention to reduce the risks of over-exploitation,” says the report. As it is, many marine species survive poorly in captivity because of unsuitable aquarium environment and food. Yet, hobbyists insist on keeping them. So the trade continues. Species unsuitable for aquariums include the bluestreak cleaner wrasse, mandarin fish, four-eye butterfly fish, harlequin filefish, seahorses and Dendronephthya corals. The harlequin filefish feed exclusively on live coral polyps, a diet which cannot be duplicated in aquariums. The report found mortality rates of coral pieces in home aquariums to be fairly high. Corals are easily damaged during collection, are susceptible to disease, and some have selective diet. Goniopora corals are one of the most abundant coral in trade, partly because the species survive poorly in captivity (they usually die within three to six months) and so must be regularly replaced. Currently, high mortality plagues the industry. As a result, more fish than is necessary must be collected. Certification schemes are recommended to ensure that marine organisms are collected, handled and transported in a manner that minimises stress to the animals. The MAC, an international non-profit organisation dedicated to protecting tropical marine fish and coral reefs, has designed a certification system which enables consumers to select retailers who comply with approved environmental and quality standards. The MAC has so far certified several companies in Germany, Canada, the Philippines and the United States. “Fish certified by the MAC are healthier and have better survival chances because they are collected, handled and transported according to internationally approved best practice standards,” says Green. “We encourage responsible traders to sign up for the MAC certification scheme and for the public to only buy from reputable dealers. Only by such means can we ensure a trade, from reef to retail, that is sustainable and beneficial for all.” Indeed, the purchasing power of hobbyists is crucial in protecting the marine environment. If sufficient numbers of consumers demand only fish that have been farmed or caught using sustainable techniques, there will be positive repercussions on the aquarium trade. If the origins of that cute anemone fish is dubious, then it & #8217;s better to let it remain in the pet shop or even better, in its original habitat among the tentacles of an anemone in the sea. Remember: When the buying stops, the killing can, too. The United Nations report From Ocean to Aquarium: The Global Trade in Marine Ornamentals is available at <a href= " http://www.unep.org " target= " _blank " >www.unep.org</a> or <a href= " http://www.unep-wcmc.org " target= " _blank " >www.unep-wcmc.org</a>.<p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2003 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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