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Effect of aquariums on the environment - some issues - Page 2© Winston Vaughan Schoenfeld The U.N. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species regulates trade for 2,000 species of coral. But live fish, soft corals, anemones, crustaceans, mollusks and other creatures imported to the United States for the aquarium trade are not on the list.
Seahorse populations have dwindled by more than 25 percent since 1994, in part because of harvesting, the task force said. Twenty countries, including the United States, export seahorses for aquariums and to be used in folk medicines. The booming demand for fish has prompted the African nation of Mozambique to impose a ban on coral and aquarium fish exports until 2001. The Pacific island of Fiji is also reviewing export laws. The Marine Aquarium Council, a Honolulu-based umbrella for conservation groups, marine industries and government agencies is calling for a certification program. That would create a paper trail so that buyers know their fish were harvested legally, said Paul Holthus, the council's executive director. Currently they have to "trust what they are being told" by sellers, he said. In one report, the task force recommended increasing the number of Fish and Wildlife Service inspectors at ports and testing fish for cyanide. Copyright 1999 The Associated Press. ============================================ After reading the above article, I am sure that there are many of you out there that are astonished. As an aquarist, I must admit that it paints an awful picture about the effects of aquarists on the environment. The first issue to address is that of how the fish are captured and sold to aquarists. The article states that fish are captured using cyanide, and that such practices kill smaller fish, allowing only one out of ten to arrive alive in a consumer aquarium. The key to this statement is that such practices are considered "illegal". While the demand for fish is fed by us aquarists, there are many reputable sources for fish out there. Such sources either breed or hand net specimens from the wild. In fact, if maintained correctly, an aquarium can offer a longer life expectancy than the wild for many fish. So...what can we learn from this? Well, I feel that it is our duty to figure out where the fish come from that we are purchasing. Ask the retailer. You cannot prevent illegal capture of fish and other specimens, but we can at least avoid promoting it by purchasing aquarium bred or hand netted fish. Another responsibility is to realize the limitations to your own aquarium. By this I mean do not purchase a specimen unless you are aware of its requirements for living, and are sure that you are capable of meeting those requirements.
The copyright of the article Effect of aquariums on the environment - some issues - Page 2 in Aquariums is owned by Winston Vaughan Schoenfeld. Permission to republish Effect of aquariums on the environment - some issues - Page 2 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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