Rhyne, A.

Magnitude and analysis of marine ornamental fish trade in the United States

2005

Roger Williams University, New England Aquarium

Technical Report, 2004-2005

"Every year, millions of marine creatures are removed from the worlds coral reefs and associated habitats and inserted into a pipeline that empties into more than 2 million homes and public aquariums worldwide. The majority end up in the United States, followed by Europe, Japan and a handful of other countries. Once a cottage industry, export of marine ornamentals has grown into a major global enterprise. Extraction occurs primarily on coral reefs in Indonesia, the Philippines, Fiji, United States, and Brazil, with at least another 45 other countries supplying the remainder of the demand. The most recent estimates suggest the trade targets over 150 species of stony corals, thousands of species of molluscs and crustaceans, over 1472 reef fish species in 50 families, and at least 500 other species of invertebrates (Wood 2001; Wabnitz et al. 2003; Bruckner 2005). The demand for individuals has been increasing, as since 1990, the aquarium trade has seen a shift in consumer preference from fish-only aquariums to miniature reef ecosystems (Wabnitz et al. 2003; Rhyne et al. 2009). Because of this, collectors now draw upon the full suite of coral reef biodiversity, to supply aesthetic and life support services in home aquaria (Rhyne et al. 2009)."

CRCP Project ID 1271; Project Title: Analysis of US Ornamental Reef Fish Imports; Principal Investigator: Andy Bruckner