Towards a sustainable marine aquarium trade

[Witt]

For everyone who keeps an aquarium; a delicate glass box of rocks and fishes from around the world, you may find the article in the attached link an interesting read. Though it is a few years old, the concepts well apply today...
http://www.spc.int/Coastfish/News/lrf/1 ... hardjo.pdf

[Bandeng]

Once upon a time (1994-1999), I had worked at the national research station in Bali. The station and the village mentioned in the report located side by side each other. The station worked for aquaculture technique development including marine ornamental breeding. The station had produced some juveniles of Napoleon fish. The people working at the station well aware of the villager's use of the "POTAS (potassium cyanide)", but do nothing. Because the villagers have "POTAS". The station has some experience having the fish in some of their tanks totally killed over night, when both had some conflicts.

The villagers (Isram) migrated from Java, where they could not make livelihood. Balinese (Hindu) originally do not fish in the sea where demon lives. For them mountain is the holly place where the god lives. The villagers have to live. They will do anything to live. Unless you give them alternative job, they will not stop what they are doing. If you blackmail them, they will use their "POTAS" to protect themselves. This was what my colleague taught me during the time. We have developed backyard hatchery system for the region. The main product at the hatchery was "Bandeng", milkfish. The some hatchery even produce juveniles of Polkadot grouper. People could make money by operating the hatchery. Many young villagers were employed to work at the hatchery. There were hundreds of hatcheries built during the time. But it seemed these were not satisfactory for them. According to the report, they still continue to be "collectors".

Bandeng

[Witt]

This is very interesting and seems a common story throughout southeast Asia. It is an eye opening experience to see firsthand the lives of the collectors and walk in their shoes for even a short time. NGO's, government agencies and foreign countries are easy to find solutions to over collection and environmental damage, but most all of them leave the fishers behind without alternative livlihoods. This the part of captive propagation and the marine aquarium hobby that must not be overlooked. We cannot and should not raise everything for the environment will suffer in the absence of incentive.

[enigma]

Like all governmental issues the solution is multifaceted and never easy. The problem is governments like people tend to be polar. All or nothing. It is true if all Marine Ornamental Fish were to become captive bred overnight many communities would be destroyed and in turn destroy their greatest assets in an attempt to survive. Much like a middle eastern friend of mine said of battle torn Arab countries "when it is easier to get a gun than it is a loaf of bread, what choice do you have?" Many undeveloped countries in Latin America have turned toward tourism in place of fishing or mining with limited success. The greatest asset any organization or government can impart to such communities is education and management.

The hardest reality of all of these problems is that the Western worlds way of life is built on the back of these undeveloped people. The truth is we all must do our part and hope what we do is for the better. We can only improve our odds of doing good by educating ourselves and sharing the plight of these people. No easy solutions, but nothing in life worth while comes easy.

[r33fking]

indeed !!!!
great posts to all who have posted !
the article still applies