If You Love This Hobby, Pay Attention

[fishtal]

If you've been in the aquarium hobby for more than a year you should know something about the anti-aquarium efforts in Hawaii. They are going after the trade from a different direction this year: http://blog.aquanerd.com/2012/10/anti-aquarium-activists-file-suit-to-stop-aquarium-collection.html

But they aren't alone... Australia while trying to protect the Great Barrier reef has pretty much shut down Cairns Marine and , potentially, many more: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/opinion-split-on-worlds-biggest-marine-reserve/story-fndo45r1-1226517741842

Snorkel Bob seems to now be bringing Florida into the equation now too: http://beachcarolina.com/2012/11/25/wildlife-species-are-a-public-trust-not-disposable-trinkets/
There are many misleading statements in this article as well as outright lies so be careful when you read it.
If the anti-aquarium people have their way the fish trade could be shut down. Please pay attention to what is going on in the bigger picture.

[jimsflies]

First 2 links = broken.

[fishtal]

Fixed, thanks!

[slapshot]

I really think we should go after Snorkel Bob. I don't know about many of you divers but I have witnessed, stopped and scolded many a snorkeler who has no idea what they are doing standing on coral, crashing into it anchoring into it throwing trash over board. There is plenty of blame to go around and we should try to do better but this pot calling the kettle black needs to be out out there also.

[fishtal]

I really think we should go after Snorkel Bob. I don't know about many of you divers but I have witnessed, stopped and scolded many a snorkeler who has no idea what they are doing standing on coral, crashing into it anchoring into it throwing trash over board. There is plenty of blame to go around and we should try to do better but this pot calling the kettle black needs to be out out there also.

It is very complicated. I am also a diver and have seen the same things. It's the people with the loudest voices that get heard. Bob and Rene are playing the emotional card and not backing up their arguments with facts. To be fair, there are a lot of bad things that go on in the trade that most hobbyists don't know, or care, about.

There is another petition going around that wants to place A. percula and several other damselfishes on the endangered list. Not because of over-collection but because of ocean acidification affecting their biology. Protection sought for clownfish that inspired Finding Nemo — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/protection-sought-for-clownfish-that-inspired-finding-nemo)

[fishtal]

And corals... NOAA Proposes Endangered Listing for 66 Stony Coral Species (http://www.reef2rainforest.com/2012/11/30/noaa-proposes-endangered-listing-for-66-stony-coral-species/)

[slapshot]

So if I read this right pretty much no more wild caught acros, is this correct?

[jimsflies]

So if I read this right pretty much no more wild caught acros, is this correct?

There are a few familiar acros on the list of 66, but there are a few that aren't on there as well. So I'm guessing there would still be some wild collected available.

[slapshot]

There are a few familiar acros on the list of 66, but there are a few that aren't on there as well. So I'm guessing there would still be some wild collected available.

There are quite a few familiar ones on there. Thanks for the information Jim. Our hobby is under assault from a lot of areas. I'm torn about what to do with this. I hate the fact hat the reefs are being picked over but I love my tank. I guess this will force is into more maricultured or aquacultured corals, which is a good thing.

[jimsflies]

I think the bigger issue is ocean acidification/global warming. I see the point that collection stresses and already stressed system.

(Warning the below paragraph is very pessimistic....)

I personally feel that many (...most) of the reef species aren't going to make it regardless of any conservation actions that are taken at this point. If global warming is anthropological, I don't see the world making changes that will stop it ...and even if all the countries stopped producing greenhouse gasses today, it may be too late anyways since there is likely latency between the cause and effect of global warming (enough carbon already in the atmosphere to continue to do irrevocable damage). And if you are in the camp that thinks global warming is a natural cycle, then there is also really nothing that can be done about it except to let nature take its course. (If you are still denying global warming even exists, then you haven't been watching the news with all the reports (http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/29/world/europe/climate-ice-sheets/) of polar icecaps melting in the past couple months.)

I think there is no doubt that our reef aquariums will have a lot less bio diversity (i.e., available livestock) as global warming continues.

[dputt88]

in my ecology class we just finished another chapter on global warming, right now we arent much higher then the previous historic highs ( which the earth as reached 3 times in the past) and the amount of plants on the earth can currently consume 25% on the CO2 that we put out everyday. and thanks to Michigan Tech we now understand that as CO2 increases in the atmosphere plants will not increase growth/photosynthesis to accommodate for it. if change were to happen this problem could go away. the major issue with making changes on how we interact with the environment is anti-global warming lobbyists and the fossil fuel companies. for some reason people like to listen to them when it comes to global warming research rather than the unbiased scientists who actually have the necessary education to preform these experiments and make such judgments on the condition of the earths environments....

[jimsflies]

in my ecology class we just finished another chapter on global warming, right now we arent much higher then the previous historic highs ( which the earth as reached 3 times in the past) and the amount of plants on the earth can currently consume 25% on the CO2 that we put out everyday. and thanks to Michigan Tech we now understand that as CO2 increases in the atmosphere plants will not increase growth/photosynthesis to accommodate for it. if change were to happen this problem could go away. the major issue with making changes on how we interact with the environment is anti-global warming lobbyists and the fossil fuel companies. for some reason people like to listen to them when it comes to global warming research rather than the unbiased scientists who actually have the necessary education to preform these experiments and make such judgments on the condition of the earths environments....

Reef systems as we know have a very narrow range of survival (only located in certain places on earth, at certain depths, and with just the right currents...and a heathy natural reef requires just the right balance of prey/predators).

The question is during those 3 times of historic highs, how did the reefs fair? How long did it take them to recover?

Here is a decent article: Coral Reef History - Global Reef Project (http://www.globalreefproject.com/coral-reef-history.php)

[dputt88]

great article. but i was more reinforcing your statement about the presence of global warming and the reluctance of many to accept what is happening. as many are making any excuse available to deny it.

[fishtal]

‘Snorkel Bob’ joins Sea Shepherd Board of Directors (http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/snorkel-bob-joins-sea-shepherd-board-of-directors/article_3fc5817c-347b-11e2-b596-001a4bcf887a.html)

[jimsflies]

Its hard to argue that species that have zero chance for surviving in captivity should be collected and sold in the aquarium industry. Yet they are routinely collected, distributed, and purchased. Because of irresponsible greed and the inability to self regulate (at all levels of our industry...including hobbyists that make poor purchasing decisions thus creating a market for doomed livestock), if we are lucky regulations will stop at species that shouldn't have been collected in the first place...however, if we aren't as lucky many species that are common in the industry will become contraband.

This photo from one of the links in fishtal's original post is what I mean by irresponsible greed...And it makes a good case for the need for industry regulation or at the least more accountability. The caption reads "650 dead yellow tangs and butterflies pulled from a Kona dumpster after a collector dumped them because he couldn’t quite get his chemistry right":

http://beachcarolina.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/editorial-121124-1-4-AQ-dead-0012-sm.jpg

[fishtal]

I agree there are species that shouldn't be collected and the majority of collectors don't collect them but some do. I feel that collection legislation is needed and most of the collectors do too. I'll be going there in January and meeting with some of them.

There is more to the story behind the picture that Jim posted. From what I understand, there was a mechanical malfunction on the collectors boat that caused the loss. Not a water chemistry issue. If it was a water chemistry issue why would you return to the harbor to dispose of the fish?

Please make sure that you do some research behind stories like the Snorkel Bob one... There are many falsehoods that he continues to use as facts. I find it funny that the story is in a Kauai paper, there is little or no collection of aquarium fish on that island. The majority of collection takes place on Oahu and the Big island.

[dlhirst]

20 years ago, most of the livestock in our tanks had no long term survivability. To pick and chose winners and losers based solely on today's science is to ignore the benefits that this hobby/industry CAN offer.
Regardless of the causes of warming seas, captive reefs MAY BE what saves these species for a day when they can be reintroduced to the wild.
Bob just wants collecting to stop because he thinks it affect HIS paycheck with scuba tourists. What he fails to realize is - many of his customers first got interested in a Hawai'i vacation because they saw a Yellow Tang swimming in a fish tank..,

[slapshot]

20 years ago, most of the livestock in our tanks had no long term survivability. To pick and chose winners and losers based solely on today's science is to ignore the benefits that this hobby/industry CAN offer.
Regardless of the causes of warming seas, captive reefs MAY BE what saves these species for a day when they can be reintroduced to the wild.
Bob just wants collecting to stop because he thinks it affect HIS paycheck with scuba tourists. What he fails to realize is - many of his customers first got interested in a Hawai'i vacation because they saw a Yellow Tang swimming in a fish tank..,

Bob doesn't market to the scuba enthusiast. He markets to the people putting on a snorkel or diving for the first time. He thrives from overcrowded boats and inexperienced "divers". It is the irony of all this. The real dive companies don't support this adventure but Bob who takes boat loads of kids and adults dumps them into a shalliw reef area and lets them go wild. They stand on corals breaking colonies and chase fish around totally disrupting their natural environment. He likes the yellow tang for the same reason we do. They are bright colored and make his customers go ohhhh ahhh. Nothing more than that. His business's destroys thousands of corals and habitats. He used to anchor right into the corals. In Maui most of the good operators don't ever drop their anchors. They practice live drops and pickups. Bobs customers can't handle that. He is a joke.

[fishtal]

Bob doesn't market to the scuba enthusiast. He markets to the people putting on a snorkel or diving for the first time. He thrives from overcrowded boats and inexperienced "divers". It is the irony of all this. The real dive companies don't support this adventure but Bob who takes boat loads of kids and adults dumps them into a shalliw reef area and lets them go wild. They stand on corals breaking colonies and chase fish around totally disrupting their natural environment. He likes the yellow tang for the same reason we do. They are bright colored and make his customers go ohhhh ahhh. Nothing more than that. His business's destroys thousands of corals and habitats. He used to anchor right into the corals. In Maui most of the good operators don't ever drop their anchors. They practice live drops and pickups. Bobs customers can't handle that. He is a joke.

Very true. Unfortunately, Snorkel Bob, or Boob as I like to call him, has a big mouth and he plays on people's emotions. Having the backing of Sea Shepard will only increase his visibility. :(

[fishtal]

This topic was mentioned on this week's Reef Threads podcast: http://www.reefthreads.com/podcasts/rt110.mp3

A more detailed discussion will be held next week.

[fishtal]

Reef Threads podcast with Ret Talbot explaining what is going on: Reef Threads Podcast #111 (http://www.reefthreads.com/?p=1940) |

[jimsflies]

Thanks for keeping us updated Tal. I hope everyone is following along as these issues will have an impact on our hobby.

[fishtal]

Testimony must be submitted by December 19th.