Aquariums

Hi,
I film underwater in East Africa.
I have recently filmed a conservation effort to save an area of lagoon reef from being destroyed by guess what...Aquarium fishermen!
The local fishermen were noticing a huge decline in their fish catches, while the aquarium fishermen were taking out chunks of coral and bagging up lots of fish to send overseas, the locals doing the work were being paid a pittance, while the Belgium owner of the company was making his fortune.
It turns out that more than half of the fish bagged do not live to see an aquarium tank. And many don't even make it to the boat and the plastic bag is slit open and thrown overboard. Besides all this the men who dive to collect the fish are not trained and are using rusty old tanks...needless to say many of them die in the process.
This is a third world country where corruption is rife and laws are easy to get round when you can pay the right guy off.
I understand the aquarium industry is huge business, but I wonder if any of you know what a fish goes through to be taken out of its environment and transported thousands of miles. if they make it that far.
I would like to see the people on the receiving end (you guys) get involved in making better practices that leave our ocean here in a condition that makes it a safe, sustainable practice and where the fish have a good survival rate .
I would really appreciate a dialogue here on how to achieve this. I am sure Kenya is not the only place that suffers from the aquarium industry.
Many thanks,
Regards,
Lesley Hannah

Welcome aboard Lesley.Were happy you joined us.And I think you posted a great thread.
The collections you speak of are a problem that no hobbyist will knowingly support, and MOST of us are aware that it is happening.Poaching is a huge problem all over the world and not just in the fish trade.
Most of will only buy our fish from dealers that we know to be using sustainable and safe catch methods.We don't knowingly support any catcher that uses illegal ie,cyanide or explosives.We'll also work the wildlife biologist to establish catch limits and seasons as to ensure sustainability and ensure a thriving wildlife population,not just for the aquatic wildlife,but for all the wildlife in the area.
And you could help us support the collectors that actually care about the wildlife and the fish industry by bringing those that use unsustainable practices to the forefront.If we know which importers use illegal collectors,then we can insure that we don't support them.Cut off their money and we've cut the head of the snake.

EDIT
I'm making this thread a sticky because this IS something that we all need to be aware of and it is OUR responsibility to police the ranks and put unsustainable collectors out of business.

+1 Yote...this is an insightful topic, and something we as hobbyist are concerned with, but should be discussed more. Thank you for your awareness, and maybe we can work together to put a stop to this practice.

I think the problem with this is that you need to educate the people who arent on the forums, and have the "well, its just a fish" mentality.

99.99% of the people on this forum love and respect their fish, and know where they came from. They are also smart enough to support good lfs stores, because stores who buy fish that are collected responsibly live longer in our aquariums.

I think the real discussion we should be having is "how to we reach people who dont know or dont care to know how to properly care for and purchase their fish" If we can educate those people, fewer fish deaths will mean that fewer fish will need to be brought in and those fish that are brought in will come from respectable sources.

We also need to provide incentives for the local people to collect in a sustainable fashion. We cant just say, "no more collecting" unless we provide them with other jobs. Plus if you do outlaw the collection of aquarium fish, the job its self becomes even more lucrative and then there is no way to set up a sustainable collection fishery.

Im glad you posted on here

+1 I get tank bred fish off my buddy.
He runs a store out of his place and about 50% of his stuff including coral is tankbred or grown and fragged constantly.
Totally agree with you! Thanks for the post.

Pretty much everyone here buys tank raised fish where available, and where not we support importers that practice sustainable collection practices. At the rate that global warming and ocean acidification are destroying reefs, the fish trade is not the only threat to marine wildlife. I read one article that actually predicted there are many types of coral that will soon cease to exist in the ocean, and only in captive envrionments because of the reef hobbyists interests in growing particular coral and sharing it with fellow reefers

Sustainable collection practices need to be established, and there are several places where education programs have education locals in the right way and wrong way to sustainably catch fish

It is human nature to make money and put food on the table any way possible, with little to no regard for the effect that it has on the environment around us. While I appreciate your concern on this topic, I think there are far worse things we are currently doing to our ocean. I agree with Hannah on this one, most of us ARE actively working against this by supporting the importers that DO play by the rules. I personally will pay more for a fish knowing it was collected responsibly.

The guy out on the boat getting paid the pittance isn't any different than the corporate world pretty much anywhere. The fat cats on the top make all the profits and enjoy all the benefits, and the workers are lucky to be able to put food on their plates and meet neccesities. Again - not specific to the fish (or pet) trade. Those on top privatize the profits and socialize the risk, because what they do to the earth around us effects EVERYONE while the profits enrich a very small percentage of us

HI again,
I really appreciate peoples response to my email.
I agree that there are many worse things being done that threatens the ocean, and I also have a feeling by all the responses that this forum are people who are concerned, and knowledgable.
I understand that only 1 % of marine organisms are cultured, which means the rest are wild caught. Studies here show that as the aquarium industry favours certain fish these are the ones being threatened here. Angelfish, butterfly, and clownfish. Studies also show that the fish collectors destroy the coral, as well as the collection of species that play a major role in the ecological balance of the coral reef. Of course with the extraction of the some of the most beautiful fish it makes it less of an attraction for gogglers or divers, taking away valuable tourist dollars.

So what I was wondering is if you are able to be in touch with the aquarium dealers that are maybe not so responsible and who do buy from here and contribute to the problems we have here. As I said there is a complete lack of care or understanding by the dealers here. They have licences but there are few or no regulations on how they go about their business. I would really like to see the pressure put on them from their buyers.
I can try and find who they sell to first. I feel that it is a bit of a cutthroat industry as they do know they are doing wrong and so are not very open to anyone nosing around. One of the dealers is called Tropical Sea Life, operating out of Mombasa. I picked up one of their bags floating around in the sea after the fish had died and the bag thrown away. There are hundreds of fish bags washed up on the beaches, every day along the coast.

I am really interested to know if aquarium enthusiasts are divers and people that travel and see the fish in the wild. If you had seen how damaged by the aquarium fishermen, this once beautiful area called Kuruwitu was, when I first started filming it, and could see how it is returning to a diverse once again beautiful place, 5 years later, now it has been declared a no take zone, and how the local people are benefitting from it being restored, you would understand my desire to have regulations put on the trade, even though it is not the worst thing being done to the ocean. The film Kuruwitu, is a conservation education film made for the locals, by The African Environmental Film Foundation. It has also helped to start up 11 such no take zones along the Kenyan coast.
If there was pressure on the dealers to behave in a responsible, sustainable manner, it would be a win win situation, and would help the local fishermen to achieve their goals of safe breeding areas where they are not pressured by the trade.
I thank you once again for your positive responses.

This sentence right "One of the dealers is called Tropical Sea Life, operating out of Mombasa." will go along way in stopping those illegal collectors.Just need to find out which importers bring in their fish and who they sale to.Once thats done,just don't buy from them.

"I am really interested to know if aquarium enthusiasts are divers and people that travel and see the fish in the wild."
The answer to this is a resounding YES.
A lot of folks are divers and plan their vacations just to dive the reefs and see the fish.

Can you get pictures of the bags washing up? A picture will go a long way in educating the people who dont know, and convincing the people who dont care that they need to change their mind.

I will be going to the coast this weekend, so will get photos and will try and find out more names of the dealers etc.
If on your side you could go to shops you would not usually buy from and speak to people that buy fish with no knowledge. I did this when I was in Canada a few years ago. I asked people how they go into it and most said it was because their kid saw Finding Nemo and wanted their own Nemo! Sort of missed the point of the film! The fish were in not good conditions in a few places I went to and certainly the one aquarium shop here has dead starfish all the around the place as decorations!
Just education.
Pictures of the bags floating in the ocean by the aquarium fisherman's boat, is in our film Kuruwitu. But sadly this film is not for the International Market. Think you can see clips on the AEFF website.
I wonder what the percentage of aquarium shops are responsible buyers?

"I wonder what the percentage of aquarium shops are responsible buyers?"

That right there is a very good question.I know that in my area,both the stores ( not the big chain stores ),are responsible and only by from certain wholesalers.Of course the chain stores seem to not really care about the resources,just their bottom line which is profit.
Of course 90% of the folks buying there are only after the cheapest fish they can get.They really don't care where or how the fish got there.Of course it could be different in other parts of the country too,so take that for what it's worth.Which is just my opinion.

Leshannah I applaud you for bringing this issue to light and to Yote for making it a sticky open for discussion. I too agree that there are some practices in the industry that need to change not only to provide us with quality livestock so that we can enjoy these species in our home but also to preserve the existing exosystems that host these species. I am a recreational diver and love diving on reefs and seeing the fish interact in their natural environment.

I firmly believe that the average consumer has more power with their purchases than they sometimes realize. I know that I only buy from reputable sources who only buy from ethical wholesalers. While the aquarium industry is part of the problem, the blame cannot be soley rested up on them. I think the real problem lies within the corrupt goverments that allow these activities to happen with little regard to the outcome other than increasing their offshore bank account and until that is changed people will always find a way to exploit the system.

Les, you mentioned that one of the reefs you filmed has been declared a no collection zone and is now returning to its former self. I am interested in learning more as to how you went about this and how is the zone enforced? Does the African Environmental Film Foundation advocated a sustainable collection program like was previously mentioned where seasons for netting fish are established and limits on collections are set?

Hello,
I am back with photos of the plastic aquarium bags on the beach. They seem to be too big to attach as they are 5 mb and it seems it has to be 1.95 mb . I am using a Mac Book pro and for the life of me cannot make the photo smaller....any ideas??!! I use iphoto but cannot find it there either...
Our internet is much slower here than you are used to, but if there is an easy way to send these photos I would be very grateful for any advice!
Many thanks,
Lesley

Hi,
I have just seen the question on the no take zone.
The African Environmental Film Foundation makes films on environmental issues to educate the local population, so had nothing to do with the setting up of the the No Take zone. It was started by a friend of mine, who has a house on the beach in Vipingo, with the support of the local fishermen and The East African Wildlife Society.
An aquarium dealer moved in to the house next door to my friend, (whose family are long term residents in the area and well respected). When my friend saw how many lorries were leaving everyday with fish and coral and how the local fishermen were beginning to suffer, he said he would do something to help save the area. He was threatened and harassed but luckily managed to win the battle as he had the support of the local people. The Belgium aquarium dealer moved further South nearer Mombasa and I understand is doing very nicely indeed as his lorry comes up everyday to collect the fish from Kilifi, near to our house. I have been onto the lorry with my camera and the diving tanks used are old and rusty and the men untrained.
My friend then managed to raise money from the EU and the project has taken over 5 years to really get off the ground and the locals have had a hard time waiting for their incomes to be supplemented by other activities, such as tourism and of course the fish coming back and spilling over into the fishing zone. Happily 11 more projects such as these are in the process of being started, thanks to the film as well as the locals seeing how necessary it is and the help of my friend.
I started filming about 6 months after it was declared a No take Zone, so witnessed its rebirth! As well as the peoples suffering during the process and their subsequent success as a conservation organization.
The No Take zone itself is not huge...maybe a Km long and within the reef...so it is mostly shallow at low tide, lagoon reef. As yet there is no fishing at all as it was in such a bad state..and in this country where corruption is rife it may be a hard thing to allow some catches in certain seasons...With the European Union money the fishermen had 2 dhows built so they can fish further afield, and share the profits as a community. The beach residents are members, so pay yearly membership fees, which helps to pay "askaris" or guards to patrol the beach and the sea to inform fishermen coming in from other areas that it is a no take zone. They also have a small boat with an engine, which they patrol with. They caught Tanzanian fishermen that had set nets out and were killing turtles. Also shown in the film.
It used to be a well known area for its abundance of species in the 1960's. So hopefully it will become again.

The easiest way to post photos on here are to upload them to a site like photobucket.com and then click the button that looks like a picture and copy/paste in the direct link into the box that pops up.

And thanks for getting those pictures!

Thanks for the update Lesley!!! I was hoping that you hadn't deserted us. I think it is great that you all are showing the locals these films and they are learning about the reef systems and how they can conserve it. I can't wait to see the pics! By chance what is the name of the video that you created?

HI,
I think I may have done it??! I have attached 3 photos of the plastic bags washed up on the beach. I counted 23 bags or pieces of bags on a small 100m section of the mangrove beach up the creek from where the aquarium fishermen come to shore.
You can see the address and website of the aquarium dealer on one of the bags. Next time I am down I will see if I can get some photos for you of the tanks the divers use and their catch in plastic bags as they come back from their dives.
The film is by The Environmental Film Foundation. Their Web site is AEFF: wildlife conservation and environmental education - elephants, rhinos, forests, community conservation & more - AEFF Journal and the film is called Kuruwitu. Between a Rock and a Hard Place. The films are long (one hour) as sometimes people have to walk for days to get to a place to view them, so not edited for a Western audience.
I am so happy to be in touch with this group and I so appreciate your support.
Do you have ideas of other aquarium forums that could benefit from the knowledge of where their fish came from and what it went through to get to them? Or ideas of how to get to the general public about it?
Lesley

Is there anyway of getting more pictures of the harvesting practices of this company. I would love to send them back to the company and see how they explain it.

Kenya Tropical Sealife - home

This is quoted exactly from their website:grumble:

"Kenya Tropical Sealife Ltd was founded by Rene Dalgaard in 2002. In the years since we have become East Africa’s leading supplier of marine ornamental fish and invertebrates to the international aquarium trade. We are able to provide a wide variety of fish to clients throughout the globe.

From the moment the Marine Fish are caught we take the best possible care of all the animals we handle. All our fish and invertebrates are caught by a team of divers and snorkelers using only nets, they are then rapidly transported back to our handling facility where they are carefully acclimated before being transferred into one of our four systems where they are looked after carefully until it is time to ship them.

We also have an excellent packing process, further ensuring our customers receive only the highest quality animals.

All animals are individually checked, packaged in specially prepared water and counted one by one into high quality and well insulated boxes. All of these processes are designed and carried out with one aim in mind, to provide our customers with the best possible product, at an extremely competitive price, all the while providing an excellent level of customer service. We believe we have succeeded in this aim, as do many of our clients."

Every coral in my tank was from another aquarium. I hope that more clarity in the industry and over sight at some point can help to have a better more sustainable industry that we can all feel better about. It is however as some pointed out, a tiny,tiny problem threatening to our oceans in the grand scheme of things. Do you eat fish? How about shrimp, mussels, scallops or anything else from the sea? The harvesting of food for human consumption dwarfs anything the aquarium industry does on a world wide scale. If anything the people who are keeping marine fish and corals are going to be the only way future generations are going to see and experience these amazing life forms. Our reefs are dying, our oceans are over fished and to put the blame on the aquarium industry is not going to solve anything. What sort of conservation moves are being taken to ensure agriculture run-off is not polluting the reef? Agriculture run-off is one of the biggest dangers to reefs in the world but how often do we hear about that? The farming of palm oil is decimating the reefs in Indonesia and south east Asia. Almost all processed food in the world contain some level or form of palm oil. I am not making an argument for wild caught marine life, I just want to point out that there are a lot more things that we need to do to sustain the reefs and while it is very unfortunate that you live in a place that you have to witness someones unsustainable and irresponsible collecting practices, it is just a drop in a sea of threats against our oceans and the life that lives in them. Change how you eat, live,and consume energy and that will have the most positive effect on the planet we live on.