Saltwater aquariums are everywhere in the US, everywhere from offices to homes, and the delightful colors of their aquatic inhabitants are singularly wonderful. It may surprise you to know the less than wonderful ways these fish came to be in those aquariums. Where do the fish in saltwater aquariums really come from? Out of approximately 1,800 marine fish species involved in the aquarium trade, only a small handful of these fish (roughly 2 percent) can be bred effectively in captivity. 98 percent of these fish species must be taken from their reef habitats to then be sold to hobbyists.
The modern day aquarium trade is a global enterprise with no central regulatory body to track the purchase of fish or to enforce collection laws. In this multibillion dollar industry, millions upon millions of marine organisms are shipped worldwide annually with minimal oversight.
Taking fish from their reef habitats can impact not only individual fish species, but reef ecosystems as a whole. While some wild caught fish are quite abundant in reef habitats, making their collection for the aquarium trade a negligible threat to their wild populations, many popular aquarium fish species face overcollection and are threatened in the wild. When fish dwindle, not only their species suffers, but their natural prey may grow out of control and overwhelm coral reefs, while the species preying upon them languish.
In addition to the dangers posed by the overcollection of fish species, the methods used to collect marine fish can also damage ocean habitats. According to a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), up to 90 percent of the marine aquarium fish that enter the US each year are caught illegally with a highly toxic chemical called sodium cyanide. Many fish collectors will use squirt bottles to spray cyanide onto fish and their surroundings, stunning the fish which can then be easily snatched. Not only can sodium cyanide permanently injure and kill the target fish, but it can also wound their environment. Sam Mamauag of the International Marinelife Alliance, in the Philippines, says that the cyanide used to catch a single fish will destroy about a square yard of coral.
The US, which accounts for more than half of the global demand for saltwater aquarium fish, has immense power over the market, and therefore has a responsibility to stop these practices. While the Lacey Act, a US law prohibiting the import of any wildlife captured against the laws of other nations, gives law enforcement the power to turn away fish caught with cyanide or other illegal methods, no US agencies currently test incoming fish for cyanide.
To be sure, captive-bred fish cost more, but we must ask ourselves what are we sacrificing for the few dollars we save? In order to preserve these fish for the future, we must back legislation to protect them in their habitats, and fight collection practices detrimental to their ecosystems. Better oversight of fish collection must occur if these fish are to live on in our world.