Hawaiian Ornamental Fishing Ban PASSED

[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.

[Myka]

Why not put legislation in place that makes it more difficult and costly (not impossible) to obtain wild caught livestock? Why can we buy wild caught Banggai Cardinals and Clownfish en masse when the average hobbyist can raise them successfully? Why not raise the price on species with lower survival rates and lower wild populations? Why not raise the price particularly on wild caught species that are currently regularly captive bred? Not only would this increase the price of captive bred fish by increasing the profitability for captive breeders and thus encouraging captive breeders, but would also help protect those species in the wild. It would be a start, and an action I think needs to take place to show that us hobbyists DO care about wild reefs and their future. Right now we look like pilferers.

The average hobbyist doesn't know the different between captive bred and captive raised. Hobbyists need to be educated.

[gobytron]

sounds like a good alternative plan...though an incredible amount of work to allocate those specific parameters for each species.
speaking as a hobbyist of course.

unfortunately, I doubt many of the policy makers are hobbyists and they see things in a very different light.

Personally I would love to pay 100$ for a Gramma Loreto...
I'm amazed such an incredible species of fish can be had for 24.95.
Or 300$ for a ribbon eel with their captive life expectancy.

An outright ban will bring prices up for sure, which in turn could create a renewed interest by policy makers in this industry.

This Ban could turn out to be the start of the exact scenario you've outlined.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by gobytron

This Ban could turn out to be the start of the exact scenario you've outlined.

Except all the collectors, exporters, importers, and LFS would all go out of business. Not to mention we would all be limited to the fish currently in captivity.

I do think that it is too easy for hobbyists to acquire wild caught fish.

LFS need to get on the boat too and start having separate systems for captive bred species so that the fish can actually be marketed the way they should be - as disease free! Most LFS just put the captive bred fish in with wild caught and they pick up diseases from the wild caught fish. Kinda makes a moot point. Albeit captive bred fish always feed better, and stress less.

[gobytron]

Just because the industry dies one day does not mean it cant come back later with different metrics...

Plus, well always have developing and third world countries too desperate for cash to care about the ethics or sustainability of the practice to give it up.

[Slick Fork]

I think the ban is a good thing, if you read into the report that Myka provided the yellow tang numbers increased in areas with a full ban on collection. Open water and unprotected populations are still down. It also makes the point that the Yellow tang is unique and a protected areas approach may not have the same effect on all fish.

A limited collection on ornamental fish is WAY more difficult and costly to implement and enforce than for a commercial fishery so I don't see that as a real solution. Perhaps a large import tax on wild-caught fish would encourage captive bred specimens but if prices go too far up people will leave this hobby like you wouldn't believe, causing the price an LFS charges for something to climb even higher as they need a larger margin per item to cover overhead and put food on the table.

I would be sad to see the supply die out completely, LFS's close etc. But, I would be even sadder to see this hobby push a fragile ecosystem over the edge. I love my fish tank, but I don't define my existence by it. If affordable, ethical fish and coral cease to be available I will find something else to do. Simple as that.

[Aquarium_Medics]

Instead of a complete ban, why not a combination, Sustainable collection of wild fish that are not captive bred, and a complete ban on the collection of wild species that are currently captive raised.

[Slick Fork]

Originally Posted by Aquarium_Medics

Instead of a complete ban, why not a combination, Sustainable collection of wild fish that are not captive bred, and a complete ban on the collection of wild species that are currently captive raised.

It's not a bad idea, the trouble is the cost of enforcement and who pays for it and maybe equally important is who takes responsibility for the enforcement. Not to mention the cost of studying each species to the point where they can make an educated decision on how best to protect them (ban/limited fishery).

I would suspect that in 99% of cases it would be significantly cheaper to have an outright ban and take the hit on the economy, than it would be to spend the $$$ on research and enforcement.

[Aquarium_Medics]

Most coastal countries have a fishery enforcement agency, I think this would fall under their jurisdiction

[Slick Fork]

There's a big difference though between overseeing large commercial fishing vessels and keeping tabs on ornamental fish collectors using boats that blend in with recreational boaters.