The IMA believes the consultant made an incorrect conclusion based on misinterpretation of the results discussed in Table 5 (Holthus 1999). Certainly, more research is needed before one could conclude that “the SOP is insufficiently sensitive to determine if a fish has been subjected to cyanide treatment during the capture process.”
General Conclusions
The report by the independent consultant has serious flaws. It is doubtful that the conclusions reached would survive scientific review. The most serious problem appears to be the low recovery of the spiked samples (Tables 2-4). This may be related to how the distillation flasks were heated or how the air bubbles were added to the apparatus. This may also have contributed to the low recoveries noted in Table 5. The independent consultant raised more questions than were answered by using methods that differed from those described in the
BFAR/IMA CDT manual.
The IMA remains convinced that the ASTM (1996) procedure being utilized by the BFAR/IMA CDT laboratories yields valid scientific results. More work is needed to clarify and revise the SOP, if it is to be applied elsewhere. Certain sections such as the “Rules of Conduct in the Laboratory”, “Selection and Preparation of Specimen for Grouper Aggregation and Breeding Studies” should be removed from the CDT SOP.
The review of the CDT SOP (Holthus 1999) has been helpful. It will help the IMA-Philippines revise its manual (Manipula et al 1995). The efforts of the MAC to improve the SOP manual are appreciated. Significant progress has been made to reduce cyanide fishing in the Philippines. Hopefully, the CDT can be used to help put an end to cyanide fishing in other countries where the problem is still out of control.
References Cited
APHA, AWWA, WPCF 1991. Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 19th Edition, American Public Health Association, Washington, DC.
APHA, AWWA, WPCF 1998. Method 4500-CN-E. Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 20th Edition, American Public Health Association.
ASTM 1996. Annual Book Of Standards” Vol. 11.02, (D2036-91), American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM), Philadelphia, PA.
Barber, C.V., and V.R. Pratt. 1997. Sullied Seas: Strategies For Combating Cyanide Fishing in Southeast Asia and Beyond. Report prepared by World Resources Institute and International Marinelife Alliance, 73 pp.
Barber, C.V. and V.R. Pratt. 1998. Poison for profits: cyanide fishing in the Indo-Pacific. Environment 40(8):5-9, 28-34.
Brown, D.G., R.P. Lanno, M.R. van Den Heuval, and D.G. Dixon. 1995. HPLC determination of plasma thiocyanate concentrations in fish blood:application to laboratory pharmakinetic and field monitoring studies. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 30:302-308.
Dempster, R.P., and M. S. Donaldson. 1974. Cyanide-tranquilizer or poison? Aquarium Digest International Tetra 2(4):21-22. Issue No.8.
Duodoroff, P., 1976. Toxicity to Fish of Cyanides and Related Compounds (A Review), EPA-600/3-76-038. National Technical Information Service.
Duodoroff, P. 1980. A Critical Review of Recent Literature on the Toxicity of Cyanides on Fish. American Petroleum Institute, Washington DC (ISBN- 0-89364-039-5) 71 pp.
Eisler, R. 1991. Cyanide Hazards to Fish, Wildlife, and Invertebrates: A Synoptic Review. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Biological Report 85(1.23), Contaminant Hazard Reviews Report 23: 64 pp.
Johannes, R.E., and M. Riepen. 1995. Environmental, economic, and social implications of the live fish trade in Asia and the Western Pacific. Report submitted to the Nature Conservancy, 87 pp.
Jones, R.J. 1997. Effects of cyanide on corals. South Pacific Commission, Noumea Cedex, New Caledonia, Live Reef Fish Information Bulletin 3:3-8.
Jones, R. J., and O.Hoegh-Guldberg. 1999. Effects of cyanide on coral photosynthesis: implications for identifying the cause of coral bleaching and for assessing the environmental effects of cyanide fishing. Marine Ecology Progress Series 177:83-91.
Jones, R.J., T. Kildea, and O. Hoegh-Guldberg. In Press. PAM Chlorophyll Fluorometry: a new in situ technique for stress assessment in scleratine corals, used to examine the effects of cyanide from cyanide fishing. Marine Pollution Bulletin Vol.
Jones, R.J. and A.L. Steven. 1997. Effects of cyanide on corals in relation to cyanide fishing on reefs. Mar. Freshwater Res. 48:517-522.
Hall, K.C., and D.R. Bellwood. 1995. Histological effects of cyanide, stress, and starvation on the intestinal mucosa of Pomacentrus coelestis, marine aquarium fish species. J. Fish Biology 47:438-454.
Hanawa, M., L. Harris, M. Graham, A.P.Farrell, and L.I. Bendall-Young. 1998. Effects of cyanide exposure on Dascyllus aruanus, a tropical marine fish species: lethality, anaesthesia and physiological effects. Aquarium Sciences and Conservation 2:21-34.
Holthus, P. 1999. Peer Review of Cyanide Detection Testing Methods Employed in the Philippines. Draft Report by the Marine Aquarium Council to the World Bank Marine Market Transformation Initiative, 23 pp.
Ireland, P.J., and C.C. Robertson 1974. A review of evidence relating to the use and effects of sodium cyanide and other methods commercially employed in coralfish collecting. The British Marine Aquarists Association, Booklet No. 2, 21pp.
.
Leduc, G., R.C. Pierce, and I.R. McCracken. 1982. The Effects of Cyanides on Aquatic Organisms With Emphasis on Freshwater Fish. National Research Council of Canada, Associate Committee On Scientific Criteria For Environmental Quality, NRCC No. 19246:139 pp., Ottawa.
Leduc, G. 1984. Cyanides in water: toxicological significance. Pages 153-224, In: L.J. Weber (ed.), Aquatic Toxicology, Vol. 2, Raven Press, New York.
Manipula, B.E., E.R. Suplido, N.M. Astillero. 1995. Manual of Standard Operating Procedures For Cyanide Analysis. International Marinelife Alliance/Philippine Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, 26 pp.
Pet, J.S., and R.H. Djohani. Combating destructive fishing practices in Komodo National Park: ban the hookah compressor! Report to the Nature Conservancy. Web URL address
http://www.spc.org.nc/coastfish/news/lrf/4/pet.htm
Pratt, V.R. 1996. The growing threat of cyanide fishing in the Asia Pacific region and emerging stategies to combat it. Coastal Management in Tropical Asia 6:9-11.
Robinson, 1985a. Collecting tropical marines-An interview with Earl Kennedy: the founding father of the Philippine fish trade speaks out. Part 1. Freshwater And Marine Aquarium 8(2):80-
86.
Robinson, 1985b. Collecting tropical marines-An interview with Earl Kennedy: the founding father of the Philippine fish trade speaks out. Part 2. Freshwater And Marine Aquarium 8(3):27-28, 30-31.
Raymond, P., G. Leduc, and J. A. Kornblatt. 1986. Investigation sur la toxicodynamique du cyanure et sur la biotransformation chez la truit arc-en-ciel (Salmo gaidneri). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 43:2017-2024.
Rubec, P.J. 1986. The effects of sodium cyanide on coral reefs and marine fish in the Philippines. Pages 297-302, In: J.L. Maclean, L.B. Dizon, and L.V. Hosilos (eds.) The First Asian Fisheries Forum, Asian Fisheries Society, Manila, Philippines.
Rubec, P.J. 1987. The effects of sodium cyanide on coral reefs and marine fish in the Philippines. Marine Fish Monthly 2(2):7-8, 17, 20, 27, 34-35, 39, 44, 46-47 and 2(3):8-10, 14, 24, 44, 47.
Rubec, P.J. 1988. The need for conservation and management of Philippine coral reefs. Environmental Biology of Fishes 23(1-2):141-154.
Rubec, P.J., and V.R. Pratt. 1984. Scientific Data concerning the effects of cyanide on marine fish. Freshwater And Marine Aquarium 7(5);4-6, 78-80, 82-86, 90-91.
Rubec, P.J., and R. Soundararajan. 1991. Chronic toxic effects of cyanide on tropical marine fish. Pages 243-251, In: P. Chapman et al. (eds.) Proceedings of the Seventeenth Annual Toxicity Workshop: November 507, 1990, Vancouver, B.C. Vol. 1, Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences No. 1774 (Vol. 1).
Smith, L.S. 1982. Osmoregulation. Chapter 2, Pages 19-86, In: Introduction to Fish Physiology, TFH Publications, Inc.,
Neptune, New Jersey.
Williams, J.L. 1948. Cyanogen Compounds. Edward Arnold & Company.