Reefcheck blast fishes trade in tropicals

[clarionreef]

Thanks for the article on blast fishing aquarium fish Peter....do you know what date it came out?
Steve

 

[clarionreef]

"an unregulated marine aquarium trade has also put pressure put on reefs which are destroyed by blast fishing to catch the most popular aquarium fish species."

blast fishing for aquarium fish???
Huh? Say it ain't so!
Tell me our reform people know the issue better then that!

Why would that be in the article? And is it indicative of other facts and expert opinions?
[ However....it could also just be the Philippine press]
Steve

 

[spawner]

Steve email me the the files, I'll make PDFs of them and link them directly.

andy

 

[PeterIMA]

I am attaching the rest of the interview with Dr. Gregor Hodgson of Reefcheck in JPG foramt (scans 1 and 3).

Peter Rubec

 

[PeterIMA]

Edited Duplicate Posting

 

[PeterIMA]

Here is the first part of the Hodgson interview (previously posted by Steve)

Peter Rubec

 

[PeterIMA]

I am posting the final part of the article again since the attachment was lost.

Peter

 

[clarionreef]

"Unfortunately there are marine parks on paper but not in effect".
he said.
Wow! Paper parks set up by asst. groups and interests as a placebo and a sop to the conscience.
Now where have we heard of other programs that are all paper fiber and no substance???
Hey, I like this guy!
He talks straight at least.
Steve

 

[spawner]

 

[clarionreef]

Finally,
Someone who can get 1,2 and 3 straight!
Thanks Andy!
Steve

 

[Kalkbreath]

I wonder if they are blaming "wrinkled neck " on the MO trade as well? :wink:

 

[sdcfish]

I was told by Gregor that letters to the editor had been written to point out the obvious mistakes in the article. Too bad the damage has already been done and it's a shame that the press took advantage of the situation and mis-quotes someone who does really see the industry as being sustainable and beneficial to both the reef (gives value) and the economy.

Regards,

Eric

 

[PeterIMA]

Eric, What parts of the article did Gregor think was incorrect (other than not providing his first name correctly).

Peter Rubec

 

[mkirda]

[ However....it could also just be the Philippine press]
Steve

That's what you can blame this one on...

It isn't clear to me where the article came from, but what I understood them to be saying was that reefs have been decimated by blast fishing first, hit hard by the MO trade (using cyanide) second, and are now under incredible pressure from food fishermen.

The sentence you pointed out is ridiculous, of course, but the fact is that either the author or the editor got it wrong. Based on the content of the rest of the article, it would seem it was a grammatical error.

Gregor isn't a fool.

Regards.
Mike Kirda

 

[sdcfish]

Mike,

Of'course Gregor isn't a fool. I too have been terribly misquoted in articles.

Blast fishing by aquarium collectors was what stuck out in the article to me the most.

It's hard to read these types of articles...but we all realize that some change is necessary to keep us going for the long term.

Best regards,

Eric

 

[mkirda]

Mike,

Of'course Gregor isn't a fool. I too have been terribly misquoted in articles.

Blast fishing by aquarium collectors was what stuck out in the article to me the most.

It's hard to read these types of articles...but we all realize that some change is necessary to keep us going for the long term.

Best regards,

Eric

The funny thing, add a comma after 'blast fishing' and no one would have an issue with the article at all.

Except the cyaniders and blast fishermen, of course...

Regards.
Mike Kirda

 

[dizzy]

{snip} Too bad the damage has already been done and it's a shame that the press took advantage of the situation and mis-quotes someone who does really see the industry as being sustainable and beneficial to both the reef (gives value) and the economy.

Eric

That's a very short and possibly somewhat misleading interpretation of his findings. I did have a chance to speak with a former MAC employee recently. There seems to be some difference of opinion on how much of a sustainable harvest is truly there at the present time. The MAC and CCIF obviously want to deliver a decent variety of certifed fish for the certified wholesalers and retailers. I believe the problems lie in the fact that the MACTRAC surveys are not showing large populations of fish in the areas they want to certify. There is apparently some debate as to the accuracy of these quick surveys. Fish do migrate and some live in cryptic zones and are not easy to spot in a quick swim over. Suggestions like establishing CAMPS and MPAs should eventually help the situation in the long term, but it will take time and the proper enforcement if these actions are to yield good results. No matter how anyone wants to spin it, the bottom line is that the situation currently in the Philipppines is not very good and Dr. Hodson (to his credit) seems reluctant to sign off on some of the areas that the MAC and CCIF would love to see certified. The message here is that patience is needed for those wanting a good variety of certifed PI fish. I believe Eric has demonstrated he has that patience if one is to believe his writtings in the Borneman thread on RC.
Mitch