From the World Fish Center Website
New Stars in the Aquarium Trade
Developing sustainable fishery for the marine aquarium trade in the Pacific
The international marine aquarium has been burgeoning since the 1980s. Today, it is worth US$200 to US$330 million annually -- providing a valuable source of income to coastal communities in Asia-Pacific. The major markets include the US , Japan and the UK .
Unfortunately, the vast majority of the fish are collected as adults or large juveniles from the wild, often using cyanide and destructive fishing methods. Overfishing also seriously threatens the sustainability of the trade.
WorldFish has developed an environmentally friendly and sustainable way to address the twin problems of destructive fishing methods and overexploitation in the Solomon Islands . It has developed simple, cheap and sustainable methods to harvest postlarval fish from the plankton prior to settlement, and to culture them to marketable size.
Many coral reef animals, such as banded cleaner shrimp and lobster, have larvae that drift in the plankton. The larvae spend the first few weeks or months of their life in the open water until they are ready to settle down and adopt the sedentary habits of their parents.
Only a small proportion of the animals that are settling are caught. As such, there is virtually no chance of affecting the replenishment rate. Also, they are removed immediately prior to the natural high mortality that occurs during settlement -- what is sometimes termed “lost at sea” and a tremendous waste -- due mainly to high predation. Studies have shown, for example, that less than 1 per cent of the larvae of the surgeonfish reach adulthood. Coral reef invertebrates also experience massive mortality at settlement. Research shows that less than 5 per cent of spiny lobster survive the first benthic year.
WorldFish’s work in the Solomons was carried out in two phases: a research phase from 1999 to 2002 and a second phase to “fine-tune” the capture and culture methods in 2003. The project, a collaborative effort with the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the islands’ Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources, was funded by the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).
In July 2004, WorldFish held an extension workshop at its field station at Nusa Tupe (Western Province) and within only a few weeks the villagers in one community were already making a significant income from the harvest of mainly postlarval cleaner shrimp from the Stenopus genus. They were caught using special small mesh nets deployed on shallow reef tops. These capture the animals as they move from deeper waters to settle on reefs at night. The juvenile animals were sold to a buyer in the capital Honiara for export to the world market. They can be sold for about US$1 each within six weeks after capture.
Cleaner shrimp are among the ten most traded invertebrates in the world. They are attractive, easy to keep and are well known for their ability to clean parasites from fish. The adult animal can fetch as much as US$18 each in the US market.
The new fishery offers local people, especially women and youth, income-earning opportunities in a place where paid jobs are few and people are mainly living at subsistence level. The money earned by women can be used to improve diet and for medical care as well as education.
WorldFish is expanding the fishery to other sites in the Solomons in a new five-year project with funding from New Zealand’s International Aid & Development Agency. Building on its success in the Solomons, it is extending the technology to other Pacific island countries in a three-year project (again funded by ACIAR) with the similar aim of developing sustainable aquaculture.
Meanwhile, the technology is being endorsed by the Hawaii-based Marine Aquarium Council, which has established a system of certification that promotes sustainable trade in aquarium fishes, conferring market advantages. Besides promoting sustainable aquaculture, the technology offers the prospect of supplying new and rare species for the market, such as spiny lobster, which is cute but difficult to catch in the wild. The adult creature can fetch US$25 each in the US market. Very rare fish species, such as goldflake angelfish, can command up to US$150 each.
New Stars in the Aquarium Trade
Developing sustainable fishery for the marine aquarium trade in the Pacific
The international marine aquarium has been burgeoning since the 1980s. Today, it is worth US$200 to US$330 million annually -- providing a valuable source of income to coastal communities in Asia-Pacific. The major markets include the US , Japan and the UK .
Unfortunately, the vast majority of the fish are collected as adults or large juveniles from the wild, often using cyanide and destructive fishing methods. Overfishing also seriously threatens the sustainability of the trade.
WorldFish has developed an environmentally friendly and sustainable way to address the twin problems of destructive fishing methods and overexploitation in the Solomon Islands . It has developed simple, cheap and sustainable methods to harvest postlarval fish from the plankton prior to settlement, and to culture them to marketable size.
Many coral reef animals, such as banded cleaner shrimp and lobster, have larvae that drift in the plankton. The larvae spend the first few weeks or months of their life in the open water until they are ready to settle down and adopt the sedentary habits of their parents.
Only a small proportion of the animals that are settling are caught. As such, there is virtually no chance of affecting the replenishment rate. Also, they are removed immediately prior to the natural high mortality that occurs during settlement -- what is sometimes termed “lost at sea” and a tremendous waste -- due mainly to high predation. Studies have shown, for example, that less than 1 per cent of the larvae of the surgeonfish reach adulthood. Coral reef invertebrates also experience massive mortality at settlement. Research shows that less than 5 per cent of spiny lobster survive the first benthic year.
WorldFish’s work in the Solomons was carried out in two phases: a research phase from 1999 to 2002 and a second phase to “fine-tune” the capture and culture methods in 2003. The project, a collaborative effort with the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the islands’ Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources, was funded by the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).
In July 2004, WorldFish held an extension workshop at its field station at Nusa Tupe (Western Province) and within only a few weeks the villagers in one community were already making a significant income from the harvest of mainly postlarval cleaner shrimp from the Stenopus genus. They were caught using special small mesh nets deployed on shallow reef tops. These capture the animals as they move from deeper waters to settle on reefs at night. The juvenile animals were sold to a buyer in the capital Honiara for export to the world market. They can be sold for about US$1 each within six weeks after capture.
Cleaner shrimp are among the ten most traded invertebrates in the world. They are attractive, easy to keep and are well known for their ability to clean parasites from fish. The adult animal can fetch as much as US$18 each in the US market.
The new fishery offers local people, especially women and youth, income-earning opportunities in a place where paid jobs are few and people are mainly living at subsistence level. The money earned by women can be used to improve diet and for medical care as well as education.
WorldFish is expanding the fishery to other sites in the Solomons in a new five-year project with funding from New Zealand’s International Aid & Development Agency. Building on its success in the Solomons, it is extending the technology to other Pacific island countries in a three-year project (again funded by ACIAR) with the similar aim of developing sustainable aquaculture.
Meanwhile, the technology is being endorsed by the Hawaii-based Marine Aquarium Council, which has established a system of certification that promotes sustainable trade in aquarium fishes, conferring market advantages. Besides promoting sustainable aquaculture, the technology offers the prospect of supplying new and rare species for the market, such as spiny lobster, which is cute but difficult to catch in the wild. The adult creature can fetch US$25 each in the US market. Very rare fish species, such as goldflake angelfish, can command up to US$150 each.
