AquariumTrade
From coraldigest
Managing the Aquarium Trade
History
Global Economic Impacts
- Export
- Dominant in developing tropical countries [1]
- Poorer countries are often centralized around the trade as a means of income
- Import
- Dominant in developed countries with expendable income
- Overall global impact
- Involving 350 million fish annually (kona)
- Industry valued at $963 million (kona)
Aquarium Trade as an Invasion Pathway
- Major source of exotic species invasion
- In part caused by owners that feel they don't wan't
- Re-released into non-native waters
- Sometimes affects ecosystem balance by out-competing or throwing off natural food webs
- In part caused by owners that feel they don't wan't
- Often goes unnoticed
- Hard to regulate
- Focus on other invasion pathways such as ballast water
Case Study: Hawaiian Islands
- first significant study on the effect of aquarium collecting on natural populations
- Large study on Kona, Hawaii
- 7 of 10 species surveyed were significantly affected by collecting
- Abundance of many fish is lowered
- affect on those surveyed ranged from 38% to 75% lower in abundance
- Few Non-target fish were affected
- only 2 effected
- not indicative of over fishing pracitces
Prevention Methods and Future Impacts
- Re-release regulation
- Hard to enforce
- Regulation on collection
- also hard to enforce in developing countries
References in Popular Culture
- Finding Nemo
- Sparked interest over the relatively unheard of industry.
- People now want "Nemo" or "Dory" fish
- The Spongebob Squarepants Movie
Notes
- ↑ Padilla, Dianna K. "Beyond ballast water: aquarium and ornamental trades as sources of invasive species in aquatic ecosystems." Front Ecol Environ. (2004): 131-138. Print.
- http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/ee/padillalab/pdfs/Padilla%20%26%20Williams%20(Front%20Ecol)%202004.pdf
- http://www.hoikecurriculum.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/marine_unit5_activity2_appendix.pdf
- http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2003.01522.x/full
- http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0029543
- http://www.int-res.com/articles/meps2004/266/m266p239.pdf
- http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X99000028