Sigh...I have seen this look before

[dkcrx]

Originally Posted by naesco

We can do our part by buying farm raised fish whereever possible. ie seahorses, clowns, regal tangs, pseudochromis, bangaii etc.

A closure of the fishery will mean tragic economic loss to the legitimate fishers which depend on our hobby to feed themselves.

If we stop buying known cyanide caught fish, the problem goes away because the bad guys have nothing to sell.

Well said!

[banditpowdercoat]

Originally Posted by naesco

We can do our part by buying farm raised fish whereever possible. ie seahorses, clowns, regal tangs, pseudochromis, bangaii etc.

A closure of the fishery will mean tragic economic loss to the legitimate fishers which depend on our hobby to feed themselves.

If we stop buying known cyanide caught fish, the problem goes away because the bad guys have nothing to sell.

But if we have no proof that its cyanide caught or not. How can we quit buying them??? I for one will not, to the best of my knowledge, buy cyanide caught fish. But, even with a "stamp of approval" how can one be 100% sure, unless we start drug testing every fish?

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by banditpowdercoat

But if we have no proof that its cyanide caught or not. How can we quit buying them??? I for one will not, to the best of my knowledge, buy cyanide caught fish. But, even with a "stamp of approval" how can one be 100% sure, unless we start drug testing every fish?

Thats the problem and actually drug testing will not show anything. The cyanide does not stay in the fish long. By the time they are in the wholesalers tanks, the cyanide is gone. Cyanide is not something that keeps degrading a fish over time. It does its damage and then is expelled. The problem is that it does a lot of damage quickly that is irreversible. There is only so long a fish can survive without gut fauna or a working liver. This is why they generally will die between 4-6 months. I think some who come in less direct contact with the cyanide have a better chance obviously and do survive.

After a fish dies, it can be tested but it involves very expensive lab equipment, a lot of knowledge and putting the fish in a blender. Not something most LFS or most of us will ever do.

Officials in Hong Kong were trying to test for cyanide in groupers imported for food but it never worked out. Its thought that they didn't actually care anyways since the cyanide is not in the fishes system by the time it is eaten but they wanted to "look good" by testing. One of the big wholesalers of coral trout (for food) in Hong Kong even publicly said he did not care whether the fish were cyanide caught or not because the poison was gone before people ate them--kind of missed the point

I believe live fish are worth 4-5 times the amount of dead (whether for food or the hobby) so there is a big incentive for collectors...the problem is, with nets it can take all day to catch two coral trout (groupers) of the right size but with cyanide they can catch dozens and with little effort/cost. I know with large groupers they will scare them into the rocks and then squirt a bunch of cyanide into their face and simply pull them back out of the rocks. Unfortunately the size that is preferred for eating is right when the fish is becoming sexually active.