Hawaiian Ornamental Fishing Ban PASSED

[Myka]

Yes Brad, I understand your point, but there are too many people in the same boat as you (uneducated on the science behind it all) that make blanket statements like you just did. It is easy to say, "Keep the fish in the reef." A person has to be educated (either self or by others) to understand that hobbyists play an important role in the CONSERVATION of wild reefs. There are a lot of people working on breeding and raising fish and inverts, and with collection bans like these looming overhead, the research is threatened due to an inability to obtain broodstock. Where would that get all of us?

Originally Posted by Matt Pedersen

As a marine aquarium hobbyist, not a researcher or scientist or commercial entity, I managed to breed and rear the Harlequin Filefish a few years back. I was the first person in the world to do it. I am anxiously awaiting the day that fellow marine fish breeders replicate my success with this species.

Ironically, the Harlequin Filefish is a guady Indo-Pacific reef fish that our hobby and industry had in fact written off as a “cut flower”, doomed to die in captivity. For decades many in fact did get collected and died in short order. The natural diet of this fish is exclusively certain corals, and in fact, research has shown that as coral reefs die off, this species is the first to vanish from the reefs (because it’s food source has died). This is a fish that may well go from common to facing extinction in the wild as climate change, ocean acidification and pollution wipe out its homes.

However, because of my singular efforts, and through the sharing of my discoveries in CORAL Magazine (article attached), the Harlequin Filefish now has a new future. It was not a governmental, academic, or educational institution, it was an experienced private individual, a Marine Aquarium Hobbyist, who sought out the challenge, tackled it, and gave it back to the world. I am not the first, nor will I be the last hobbyist, to make such a game changing discovery. If there had been a ban, an agreement, a white list of some sort, that said this “doomed to die” fish should never be harvested from the wild and sold, I would have never had the opportunity to make this game changing discovery, and I doubt any scientific or academic institution would’ve ever bothered to do what I did. Given the forecasts for reef loss, I think it is fair to say that the Harlequin Filefish’s fate has gone from “doomed in the wild” to “it may survive in the aquarium industry even if nowhere else”. Credit where it is due, the aquarium hobbyist, who gets his fish from the industry, made a game-changing contribution for the fate of this beautiful fish.

[...]

If we look to the freshwater aquarium hobby, we see it already taking on this role. The next time you walk into most any FW fish store, you may see a fish called a “Red Tailed Shark”. That species is extinct in the wild. It wasn’t the aquarium trade, it was damming of native waters that wiped it out. Were it not for the fact that it is a popular aquarium fish, bred in immense numbers in fish farms in Asia, the Red-Tailed Shark would be gone. It exists, because the aquarium hobby exists. The only reason anyone is researching the breeding of fish like the Yellow Tang, is because of the aquarium hobby. I am sure every Hawaiian knows the Yellow Tang, the Huma Huma Triggerfish – these aren’t food fish, but they have monetary value in the aquarium trade. Humankind tends to only preserve that which it values. Banning the aquarium trade ensures you ban a group of people who actually care about the long term wild survivability of the yellow tang in the first place.

[Aquattro]

you've done a lot more homework than I on this, so I can't really discuss the topic. Maybe someone else knows more. I'll read the article and see what opinion forms

[gobytron]

This is awesome.

Personally, I dont think anyone who has ever jumped on someone elses case for having a tang in too small a tank or for keeping a doomed species shouldnt have much to say about this in the negative.

We should all be banned from collecting anything wildcaught.

I'm no activist and Im happy to help destroy the oceanic ecosystems for my own pleasure for the time being but I would consider it a good thing if all but captive bred aquaria were banned from this hobby for good.

IME, that goes for live rock as well as for inverts.

just my 2 cents.

Leave the science to the science community where it can be regulated and accurately recorded.
Hobbyists have no business, unless they have proper accredation to feel they have any scientific right to "study" or breed these animals.
That's why were called hobbyists, it's a hobby for us and not a profession.

Major aquariums and zoos can do a far better job than any dedicated hobbyist in mimicing a natural habitat than anyone with even a 500 gallon tank and years of experience can.

I think the attitude that we do more good than harm is a little self righteous.

Though I would be agreeable to this if there were a rigorous testing or qualifying process for the "average" hobysist to gain access to any species banned from collection.

[Myka]

Goby, did you even read any of the links or quotes?

[kien]

[Myka]

Originally Posted by kien

Won't be much to watch Kien, not many people on the hobbyists' side of the fence...you may as well use a waving smiley to say goodbye to the hobby over the next decade (or less).

[gobytron]

I did.
And in these very specific cases, with very dedicated hobbyists or specific species of fish that CAN be bred in the environment that the average hobbyist can provide your logic stands...

I just dont believe that it will stick for the majority of species out there that are collected for this hobby.

The red tailed shark is just one example.
I have no research behind this, but my best guess would leave me to believe there are several, if not hundreds of species that are no longer in existence or endangered that this hobby is directly or at least partly responsible for.

Again, I restate that I would support it if there were a stringent qualifying procedure a hobbysist had to go through to be able to attempt the husbandry of any banned specimens but that opening it up for anyone to do is a recipe for failure.

[paddyob]

Originally Posted by Myka

Won't be much to watch Kien, not many people on the hobbyists' side of the fence...you may as well use a waving smiley to say goodbye to the hobby over the next decade (or less).

Myka the hobby is not going anywhere. I think, referring to my other post, some species may become non-existant in the hobby while the captive bred species thrive.

Why is it so bad to protect the ocean. I know you educate yourself well, so I am not going to try convince you, but, we protect other life forms, why not fish?

I made mistakes early on... as we all have... and partly because the LFS says ok.

Maybe its time to start approaching the LFS on this. They make money selling unsuitable fish because we let them.

Anyone walk into their favorite shop and question them on fish such as wild benggai? I have and was met by defensiveness.

Myka this hobby will die on its own if it has no regulations.

Over collection is a fact. Captive bred SHOULD be less expensive, but these facilities need to be maintained and we catch the brunt for a .25 cent fish that costs $25. Breeder needs profit. Then shipping. LFS needs profit. I worked for and LFS and know cost is ridiculously low on individual specimens compared to retail... but its the overhead.

Again. Complete ban no. Conservation of delicate species Yes.

I personally love snorkelling and on two occasions observed illegal collection. Once in Jamaica (4' seafan for drying) and once in Cuba. Sad. I tried to educate them on coral and impact... but money talks. I know sea fans are not fish... but still in the same game.

Reefing is great.

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Myka

hobbyists play an important role in the CONSERVATION of wild reefs.

ah but we don't. while we would all like to think we are helping the conservation of wild reefs in no way are we doing so. to be in that catagory we would have to be restocking the reefs with corals or fish from our tank, which for one is totaly ileagal. we do go towards that way with frag swaps and such but the amount we trade makes no impact on the amount of wild harvest.

while we like to think different the only thing our hobby does is statisfly our own personal need or want for a decoration and actualy harms the reef. if there was no aquarium industry we would not have countrys blowing up reefs for live rock, using cyanide to catch fish which also kills sections of reef, or even pulling corals out of there natural settings in mannors which destroy corals around it.

I suport total bans in spicific areas (like areas where easy colection in possible) as the spin off of this is other areas are more expensive to fish which will raise the price of fish. once this happens then groups will look more into captive breeding programs, which if the right permissions and permits are obtained they can fish in total ban areas for fish for the programs.

from personaly experiance with total bans on fishing of yellow tangs I can tell you that when I first started swimming in hunama (sp) bay the only fish you would see is parrot fish. 25 years later I see people sending back pictures of tangs when they go there.. this is a direct result of gathering closures and shows they work to replenish populations.

I think what I would like to see is a total ban of free fishing with in say 100 miles of hawaii and winth in that limit have a fishery set up where you have to buy a special licience and fish to limits in a spicif mannor to limit the impact of the fishing. then they can adjust limits every year to mannage the population.

now I am still checing on a few articles but I haven't found anything that proposes a total ban on having fish, or captive breeding programs yet except for the ones PETA has been trying to push for the last 20 years and the goverment pretty much ignores them now.....

the other thing we have to remember is that hawaii is part of the USA where we have the political set up and mind set to put in and enforce bans and limited fisheries, as for this spilling over to other countries I don't think we have to worry about that as most of the fish for our hobby come from countries with totaly different goverment styles and a general lack of enforcment.

Steve

[StirCrazy]

ok, found the one article.. these are the same people that have put up a total of 8 proposals over the last 11 to 15 years and every one has been turned down by the state of Hawaii. do you realy think this one is going to go through when the stats position is sustainability, they do have to hear the proposal and every couple years this same panic goes around the hobby boards... and every time nothing happens.. Hawaii is opposit of what they group states.. they use the aquarium industry to atract visitors and such.. there are about 10 "tanks you must see" in wikiki alone.. hotels stores ect.. if the state was leaning towards this proposal or any of the others in the last so many years why do they keep giving out permits for busines and such to have large aquariums which include up to 100 yellow tangs in each one....

don't think we have anything to worry about here.

Steve