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International Trade in Coral Reef Fishes
In addition to the collection of corals and
other invertebrates for
the aquarium and curio trade, coral reef fishes are harvested live to
support the live food fish industry and the aquarium trade. The U.S., Europe
and Japan play a major part in the demand for aquarium fishes, while Hong
Kong is the primary consumer of life reef food
fish. Overall, close to half of the aquarium fish in
international trade are imported into the U.S., of which two-thirds
originate in the Philippines and
Indonesia. A significant amount of collection also occurs on U.S. reefs,
including Florida and Hawaii. Each year,
an estimated 15-20 million ornamental coral reef fishes are collected
worldwide to supply the marine aquarium trade.
Destructive Collection Practices for Coral
Reef Fishes: Cyanide Fishing
Although illegal in most countries, cyanide
is sprayed or dumped onto coral reefs to stun and capture live reef fish.
Cyanide fishing does not occur in U.S. waters, but it has spread throughout
the Indo-Pacific, and its use is driven by the lucrative and largely
unregulated international trade in live food fish and marine aquarium fish.
Of all coral reef fishes imported into the U.S. in 1997, 50-60% from the
Philippines and up to 90% from Indonesia were caught with cyanide.
- One of the most deadly poisons known,
cyanide degrades habitat, depletes resources, and causes mortality to
non-target fish, corals and other invertebrates.
- A recent survey (1997) of U.S. retailers
found that as many as one-third to over half of the aquarium fishes
imported from Southeast Asia die shortly after arrival, possibly due to
the use of cyanide during capture, or the stresses associated with
improper handling and transport.
- Many targeted species have a low
survivorship in captivity due to specific dietary requirements, and must
be collected repeatedly to replace those that die. High mortality in
transport through all levels of the trade stream, and ultimately in
captivity, leads to continued extractive demands on coral reef
resources.
 Strategies for Sustainable Management of
Coral Reef Resources
Members of the aquarium industry and
environmental organizations recognize that the trade in coral reef species
may be having a negative impact on coral reefs, and have formed the Marine
Aquarium Council (MAC) to develop a
certification system to ensure that these products are sustainably collected
and are handled and transported in a responsible manner.
The U.S. has proposed seven key actions to
addresses unsustainable collection, destructive fishing practices, and
illegal interstate commerce. These include:
- Active participation in international and
regional fora including CITES, APEC and
ICRI to address concerns related
to unsustainable trade in coral reef species;
- Consultations with coral exporting
countries to assess the nature and extent of problems associated with
the trade in coral reef species;
- Expanded capacity building efforts in
exporting countries to improve enforcement of existing regulations,
assess the status of reefs and the impacts of extraction of reef
resources, and to develop sustainable management plans;
- Improved domestic law enforcement to
prevent illegal trade;
- Development of education and awareness
materials concerning the problems associated with the trade;
- Collaboration with the marine aquarium
industry and various stakeholders to eliminate destructive collection
practices and to reduce mortality during handling and transport; and
- Provide additional measures including new
legislation as appropriate to ensure that the U.S. consumer demand for
coral reef species does not contribute to the decline of reefs.
International trade in coral reef organisms,
the role of the U.S. and conservation strategies are summarized in a report
by the Coral Trade Working Group of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force presented
at the Task Force Meeting in Washington D.C., March, 2000
All
photos: Andy Bruckner
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