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 How popular are aquariums?
There's no question that aquariums are here to stay. They are one of the most popular hobbies in the world. It is estimated that in the United States alone, one in ten households -
more than 11 million - own an aquarium.*
Of these, more than 18% are marine fish-only or reef aquariums. More than 40% of those households also have more than one aquarium. The American Veterinary Association publishes the U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographic Sourcebook, which shows that Americans own more than 160 million fish. That's just the United States. As many U.S. aquarists already know, aquariums are even more popular in Europe and some Asian countries than they are here.
This may sound great to aquarists. However, it is this rising popularity of the hobby and statistics such as these, that are worrying some ecologists, environmentalists, and certain animal rights and ecological-watchdog groups.
*Source: 1999 survey by The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.
What are the facts?
Though many freshwater fish are bred in captivity, some species are still collected in the wild. Though there have been many advancements in captive breeding of some species, the vast majority of marine life kept in aquariums is collected in the wild. While the food fishing industries of many countries are regulated to some degree, there are few or
no regulations governing the collection of tropical fish for the aquarium trade, in the many countries where they are collected. Added to this problem, is the new popularity of tropical species as exotic food fish in America, Asia and Europe. As a result, many areas are being over-collected. So much so in fact, that the disappearance or thinning of certain populations may be starting to have a negative impact on entire ecosystems.
There is no question that the coral reefs of the world are in danger. This is well-documented (see links at bottom of page). We also know that depleting any species of animal on the reef can result in an ecological imbalance. Remove an animal such as a fish from a given habitat, and populations of their natural prey will grow, often resulting in other habitat changes. Click on the link below for a more-detailed explanation of how this works.
Example - Keystone Species:
How can the loss of one or more species of small fish have such a large negative impact on an ecosystem?
The possibility that over-collection of tropical fish is a factor in the destruction of reef habitats, has caused a great deal of concern among ecologists and environmentalists worldwide. Several animal rights and environmental groups, as well as world-ecology organizations have picked up on this issue, and have begun to closely examine the impact of tropical fish collection for the aquarium trade on the environment.
Animal Rights Groups and Aquariums
We worry most about the animal-rights groups, as they have no concern for economic impact and most have a strong lobby in Washington. If you think these groups don't care about fish and aquaria, think again. Most animal rights groups are firmly against the keeping of any animal in captivity, including fish. Because they don't want to look silly, these organizations
often don't bother to mention ornamental fish in their lobbying efforts. Instead, they attempt to cover all bases, by lobbying for broad definitions and terminology in the language of new laws.
For example, PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, one of the largest AR groups in the world, was partly responsible for getting the language of S.B. 1193 (Safe Transportation for Animals Act) changed to say "all animals," solely for the purpose of making sure fish and amphibians were included in the new law. In spite of our efforts, and the efforts of
others, that bill passed. When the new regulations take effect in 2003, it will hurt our hobby by making airlines take impossible measures to transport "all animals." That bill passed with the new wording, because aquarium hobbyists did not take an active interest.
PETA and other groups also tried very hard to get the same text changes into the latest revision to the Animal Welfare Act, which dealt with many different issues. Fortunately, this revision of the law was geared mostly towards food livestock, warm-blooded pets and salmon conservation, or the revised language might have made it into the final draft.
Should these groups begin to get on the bandwagon and start lobbying for regulations that would limit importation of aquarium livestock, based solely on the environmental impact of their collection, it could mean the end of the aquarium hobby as we know it, at least in the United States. Remember that to us, aquariums are important, but to a lawmaker, they might be viewed as unnecessary, and an un-needed luxury. Animal rights groups have
multi-million dollar lobby corporations. We only have The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council.
What's the major problem with collection methods?
The increasing popularity of the aquarium hobby is one factor that has increased demand for more fish and invertebrates to stock our tanks. If every collector used nets and other hand-collection methods, the problem would probably not be as severe, and might not exist at all. Unfortunately, in some parts of the world,
this is not the case.
Methods for collecting ornamental aquarium life that are dangerous and bad for the ecology are still being used by collectors in some countries. These include the use of Sodium Cyanide, drugs and other toxic agents, as well as explosives in order to stun fish, making them easier to collect. The improper use of gill nets and other mechanical devices also kill thousands of ornamental fish each day. Some tropical countries are still allowing their
coral reefs to be dredged by machinery to provide coral and live rock to the aquarium industry.
These methods allow collectors to catch more specimens a day, but with little or no regard to the long-term health of the fish, or the environment. It is important to remember that it is the high demand of hobbyists, combined with other factors, that create the incentive to use these irresponsible and dangerous methods.
"By not taking care of the fish we've already removed from the ocean, we increase the demand for more collection."
What are those "other" factors?
The rising popularity of the hobby is not the only force that supplies the huge demand that in turn, encourages bad collection methods and over-collection. The cold hard fact is that many thousands of fish and other aquatic species, die needlessly during transportation, and also in the aquariums of wholesalers, retailers and
hobbyists. By not taking care of the fish we've already removed from the ocean, we increase the demand for more collection.
If you doubt this, ask your local aquarium dealer to confide in you about how many fish they lose a day. If they do, and they might not, you're in for a shocker. Now take that figure and multiply it times several thousand aquarium and pet stores in this country alone, and that figure represents only the retail stores! Consider that fish caught in the wild, are handled first by the collector, then the exporter, the wholesaler, and finally the
retailer, before they make their way to your tank. How long do they live in your tank? Only you know the answer.
We don't mean to make you feel bad, really we don't! We're only trying to illustrate just how many fish are involved in this issue. When we have attempted to discuss this issue with other aquarium business owners, the answer has always been that there's plenty of fish, and they breed as fast as we catch them. Do they, and what studies have been done to establish this as fact?
One expensive problem with human nature is that we often don't see the GOOD economic side of being responsible until it's too late. Commercial food fishermen used to say the same things, but recently, they've been forced to admit that better resource-management is a must if they want to stay in business. What did you pay for a pound of haddock ten years ago? In case you haven't noticed,
the price of most aquarium fish caught in the wild has risen dramatically in the last few years, far beyond (about 400% greater than) the rate of inflation. Could the explanation be as simple as: They're getting harder to find?
So how do the fish die after they're collected?
Many fish die during transportation from stress caused by severe temperature extremes and lack of oxygen. While long flights and air-transport delays are responsible for some of these losses, the majority are caused by poor handling, no water changes at layover points, and improper packing methods.
Many fish die in aquariums due to ignorance or a lack of concern on the part of aquarium owners. You may think that no aquarium owner would intentionally do things to kill their fish. We at The Aquarium Professionals Group know better. We've seen many cases where too many or incompatible fish were introduced into a tank, even when we strongly recommended against doing so. We've also seen tanks that were ignored out of sheer laziness. We've seen
unsound and illogical experimentation with fish tanks. The results - dead fish. To learn what you can do to help prevent losses, both in your aquarium, and in your aquarium store, click here.
Many fish that are kept in aquaria or sold in pet and aquarium stores simply will not live in captivity, yet they are still captured and sold to the public with no regard to whether they can survive. These include many species which require a specialized diet or habitat that cannot be easily duplicated in captivity. For our list of marine species that do not belong in home aquaria, click
here.
Don't think this problem is real? Visit the sites shown below!
U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Check out page 24 of their proposal.
Environmental Media Services Includes links to MAC and MLDA
Many of the sites below mention the aquarium trade as a negative impact
Ecological Society of America - Coral Reefs
Global
Coral Reef Monitoring Network
Status of the World's Coral Reefs
SDIS - Coral Reefs
World Resources Institute - S.E. Asia Coral Reefs
The State of the Reefs
Freshwater
Fishes of Southeast Asia - Potential for the Aquarium Fish Trade and Conservation Issues
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