What is your opinion on the hobby's status?

[gobytron]

Almost everything posted here is from a business perspective.

Does nobody kind of see the writing on the wall for this hobby from an environmental sustainability standpoint?

We play a fairly major role in the destruction or depletion of ocean ecosystems.

Something is going to give sooner than later.

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by gobytron

We play a fairly major role in the destruction or depletion of ocean ecosystems.

Well, if you don't want to deplete the oceans, you can always drop by my place....haha. I always have lots of tank cultured/propagated SPS available. I can't keep my frag rack clear, and some of my colonies are getting way too large.

Would be interesting to know though, just how many wild corals are bought/sold vs aquacultured. Could be hard to estimate though, with all the hobbyist sales. I know myself, I very rarely buy wild caught and the odd time I have, they have not turned out well.

Fish is another story, though, and I think we are a long ways off from tank raised tangs. And who wants a tank with just clowns.

[Myka]

I don`t think the hobby is slowing down; I think it`s changing, as all things do. In the economy there are ups and downs and a few plateaus. Our hobby is usually a reflection of the economy, and it is different in each country. Our economy is challenged right now because of the strength of the US dollar right now. This too will change.

I think that people tend to notice when things are down more than they notice when things are up. Such as, this time of year people tend to move their interests outside so you see lots of tank shutdowns. Then you see threads like this.

Canada is on a bit of a down slope right now because of the US dollar, but in the US the hobby is as strong as everas shown by continuing increase in attendance at the various large trade shows like MACNA, Reefapalooza, MAX, Coral Con, etc.

Originally Posted by gobytron

Almost everything posted here is from a business perspective.

Mostly it is hobbyists trying to imagine a business perspective.