moraymike
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Florida May Limit Catches Of Exotic Fish For Aquariums
November 23, 2004
David Fleshler
Sun Sentinel (Florida)
About three miles off the coast of Islamorada, Ken Nedimyer glides along the ocean floor, trailing bubbles from his scuba gear and carrying two nets.
Two yellow jawfish emerge from their sandy holes. He squirts them with an anesthetic called quinaldine and scoops them up. Within a few days the fish would be airborne, packed in oxygen-rich water, on their way to aquarium-supply stores in Columbus and Cleveland.
Nedimyer is among a group of highly skilled Florida divers who earn a living providing live fish to the aquarium trade. He knows where to find angelfish, blue tangs and dozens of other species sought by collectors. Equally important, he knows how to get them alive to Phoenix or New York or Chicago.
But with fish stocks around the world threatened by overfishing, Florida wildlife officials have decided to impose limits on the business of catching live fish for the pet trade. At the urging of Nedimyer and other professionals, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has proposed rules that would reduce the number of permits.
Tom Scaturro, owner of Tom's Caribbean Tropicals of Tavernier in the Keys, dives one day a week. He faxes a list of what he's caught to about 200 pet shops and aquariums, and he posts price lists on his Web page. This week's offerings include medium-sized sea cucumbers for $4 each, large blue tangs for $40, a large strawberry grouper for $12, a porcupine puffer for $24 and dozens of other fish, plants and invertebrates.
The industry catches millions of fish and invertebrates in Florida every year. In 2002, the trade included 29,815 angelfish, 19,273 damselfish, 8,490 surgeonfish and 18,095 wrasses, among many other species, according the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
While no one knows whether the aquarium trade has caused any species to decline, divers and government officials say there appear to be fewer of these fish in Florida waters.
Causey and other experts say the drop in numbers could have many causes besides fishing for the aquarium trade, such as pollution, overfishing generally and global warming.
Formal stock assessments have not been done for any species captured for aquariums, which means that no one knows whether the current level of fishing is sustainable. This lack of information is precisely why many fishermen are pressing for restrictions.
"There's no science on this fishery," said Nedimyer, chairman of the Florida Marine Life Association, which represents people who catch the fish. "Nobody really has a clue how many fish are out there. There's a handful of us trying to be managers, trying to help the state do the right thing."
The vast majority of fish that are caught survive the trip to the pet shop, according to people in the industry. Nedimyer said his survival rate easily exceeds 90 percent. When he loses fish, it's generally because a flight delay leaves the fish in an area that's too hot or too cold, he said.
Bill Wymard, director of operations for Aquarium Adventure, in Columbus, who has bought fish from Nedimyer since the 1970s, agreed with his survival estimate, saying "when we get them, they're in very good shape."
The Marine Aquarium Council, an international organization that promotes environmentally sound practices in the industry, has established a survival standard of about 99 percent for each species at each stage of the collection and transport process.
Some environmentalists object to the use of the anesthetic quinaldine to catch fish, saying it harms nearby fish and coral reefs. Animal-rights groups oppose the trade in principle, saying it's wrong to confine fish that haven't been raised in captivity.
"We don't think life in an aquarium for a wild-caught fish is what you want to see," said Richard Farinato, director of captive protection for the Humane Society of the United States. "It's such a restriction for the fish. When you consider that these are animals that live in an environment that's an organic, live community -- the reefs, the schools of fish."
The effort to restrict the aquarium-fish trade began several years ago. Concerned when the number of permits rose past 700, the state wildlife commission in 1998 imposed a moratorium on new permits. Even though only a fourth of permit holders actually caught any fish, the commission was concerned that the dormant permits could suddenly come into use.
The moratorium expires next year, and the commission is now trying to establish rules that would permanently hold down the number of permits. Under the proposed rules, only those who have actually caught fish during the past few years could qualify for a permit, with the top-tier permits reserved for those who did at least $5,000 in business in year. The rules would also restrict who could sell their permits.
November 23, 2004
David Fleshler
Sun Sentinel (Florida)
About three miles off the coast of Islamorada, Ken Nedimyer glides along the ocean floor, trailing bubbles from his scuba gear and carrying two nets.
Two yellow jawfish emerge from their sandy holes. He squirts them with an anesthetic called quinaldine and scoops them up. Within a few days the fish would be airborne, packed in oxygen-rich water, on their way to aquarium-supply stores in Columbus and Cleveland.
Nedimyer is among a group of highly skilled Florida divers who earn a living providing live fish to the aquarium trade. He knows where to find angelfish, blue tangs and dozens of other species sought by collectors. Equally important, he knows how to get them alive to Phoenix or New York or Chicago.
But with fish stocks around the world threatened by overfishing, Florida wildlife officials have decided to impose limits on the business of catching live fish for the pet trade. At the urging of Nedimyer and other professionals, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has proposed rules that would reduce the number of permits.
Tom Scaturro, owner of Tom's Caribbean Tropicals of Tavernier in the Keys, dives one day a week. He faxes a list of what he's caught to about 200 pet shops and aquariums, and he posts price lists on his Web page. This week's offerings include medium-sized sea cucumbers for $4 each, large blue tangs for $40, a large strawberry grouper for $12, a porcupine puffer for $24 and dozens of other fish, plants and invertebrates.
The industry catches millions of fish and invertebrates in Florida every year. In 2002, the trade included 29,815 angelfish, 19,273 damselfish, 8,490 surgeonfish and 18,095 wrasses, among many other species, according the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
While no one knows whether the aquarium trade has caused any species to decline, divers and government officials say there appear to be fewer of these fish in Florida waters.
Causey and other experts say the drop in numbers could have many causes besides fishing for the aquarium trade, such as pollution, overfishing generally and global warming.
Formal stock assessments have not been done for any species captured for aquariums, which means that no one knows whether the current level of fishing is sustainable. This lack of information is precisely why many fishermen are pressing for restrictions.
"There's no science on this fishery," said Nedimyer, chairman of the Florida Marine Life Association, which represents people who catch the fish. "Nobody really has a clue how many fish are out there. There's a handful of us trying to be managers, trying to help the state do the right thing."
The vast majority of fish that are caught survive the trip to the pet shop, according to people in the industry. Nedimyer said his survival rate easily exceeds 90 percent. When he loses fish, it's generally because a flight delay leaves the fish in an area that's too hot or too cold, he said.
Bill Wymard, director of operations for Aquarium Adventure, in Columbus, who has bought fish from Nedimyer since the 1970s, agreed with his survival estimate, saying "when we get them, they're in very good shape."
The Marine Aquarium Council, an international organization that promotes environmentally sound practices in the industry, has established a survival standard of about 99 percent for each species at each stage of the collection and transport process.
Some environmentalists object to the use of the anesthetic quinaldine to catch fish, saying it harms nearby fish and coral reefs. Animal-rights groups oppose the trade in principle, saying it's wrong to confine fish that haven't been raised in captivity.
"We don't think life in an aquarium for a wild-caught fish is what you want to see," said Richard Farinato, director of captive protection for the Humane Society of the United States. "It's such a restriction for the fish. When you consider that these are animals that live in an environment that's an organic, live community -- the reefs, the schools of fish."
The effort to restrict the aquarium-fish trade began several years ago. Concerned when the number of permits rose past 700, the state wildlife commission in 1998 imposed a moratorium on new permits. Even though only a fourth of permit holders actually caught any fish, the commission was concerned that the dormant permits could suddenly come into use.
The moratorium expires next year, and the commission is now trying to establish rules that would permanently hold down the number of permits. Under the proposed rules, only those who have actually caught fish during the past few years could qualify for a permit, with the top-tier permits reserved for those who did at least $5,000 in business in year. The rules would also restrict who could sell their permits.
Fortunately, I believe that we are slowly moving in this direction. However, the reality of it is that there are some species that we may never be able to breed in captivity. That being the case, we should be responsible about the choices that we make about what we put in our tanks. We should definitely stay away from the species that rarely adapt the the confines of the home aquarium (I'm not going to mention any species, but you know who the typical suspects are). If the science indicates that there is a significant (statistical) decline in certain species, we should make this know, and stay away from those species. I'm never opposed to legislation intended to protect a natural resource that is based on legitamate science. Of course, it's much easier to regulate the collection of marine life here in the states vs. South East Asia. 