"dark Hobby" documentary

[thewire]

Anyone heard about this documentary? It's basically directing those chop shops online corals sellers

Aquariums: The Dark Hobby — Paradise Filmworks International

thedarkhobby.com

 

[Cmooreinor]

While I appreciate their concern, they cannot place the problems with the earth's reefs on the home aquarium industry. The fact that they are completely turning a blind eye to all the fish caught, killed, and tossed back into the ocean by commercial fishing is just insane. Not to mention the decimation of reefs due to the warming of the ocean. Captive-bred and aquacultured coral is probably not mentioned either and a lot of holiest are like me and seek out those options. They need to look at the root causes. This type of finger-pointing is just irresponsible.

 

[JohnTheReefer]

Haven't heard about it until now, but sadly, this is how it's always been. I try to only buy aquacultured fish and coral although, I know the nems that I prefer are wild caught which does make me think of the harm it is doing to the oceans populations.

Even if I rescue a nem that I know is wild caught and it is going to die in the store if I don't...is just perpetuating the cycle.

 

[phillybean]

Haven't heard of it, will be interesting to watch. The aquarium trade in the big picture is a drop in the bucket compared to commercial fishing though. Over a trillion fish caught a year, the 28 million number they use is pretty insignificant in comparison. That said, I do believe there should be catch limits and and increase in captive breeding.

 

[Schoolfish]

Our intention is not harm but allow the animal to flourish and live a long life. All other interaction with the ocean seems to want to harm the animals.

 

[Rmckoy]

I’ll most likely forget by may 22 when it’s released .

as hobbyist , we really don’t have much say ...
similar to yellow tangs ,
They were a $20 fish when I started .
they are one of the more expensive fish now .

coral colonies were $30-$50
3/$100 for massive size colonies

now it’s hard to find 1” frags for $30-$50

the aquarium as a hobby will sadly become banned unless we can prove we are not the problem .

 

[MaxTremors]

While I appreciate their concern, they cannot place the problems with the earth's reefs on the home aquarium industry. The fact that they are completely turning a blind eye to all the fish caught, killed, and tossed back into the ocean by commercial fishing is just insane. Not to mention the decimation of reefs due to the warming of the ocean. Captive-bred and aquacultured coral is probably not mentioned either and a lot of holiest are like me and seek out those options. They need to look at the root causes. This type of finger-pointing is just irresponsible.

I really hate this kind of argument. Are commercial fishing, climate change, and pollution the biggest contributing factors to the ecological collapse of the reefs? Yes. Does the aquarium industry also contribute to it? Also yes. It’s like the argument with climate change, ‘well these other countries produce far more CO2, so why should we have to lower our CO2 if they aren’t?’. Acting like focusing on a smaller contributing factor to a problem (and it’s literally just a documentary), when the root causes of said problem receive exponentially more attention, money, and political action, is somehow irresponsible or a waste of time is just preposterous.

You cannot be in this hobby without recognizing the inherently selfish and destructive nature of it. I think we all do what we can to mitigate the impact our hobby has on the natural world, but even in 2021 it’s still incredibly hard to have a 100% aquacultured reef tank. And even if it is 100% aquacultured, you’re still participating in and supporting the industry, the machine, that is responsible for harming coral reefs.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t keep reef tanks because of the ethical implications, but I don’t think we can just absolve ourself of any responsibility for the very real impact our hobby has on coral reefs. I think we only tell ourselves these sort of rationalizations to absolve ourselves of any guilt or responsibility. And I’m not saying we should feel guilty, but I do think that we need recognize the impact our hobby has and be honest about it.

 

[ScubaSkeets]

I would think, although I have no proof, and perhaps it's just wishful thinking, that a large percentage of corals that are in our tanks are not necessarily harvested from the sea, but appropriated via hobbyists fragging and reselling directly to other hobbyists or to the stores who then resell them.

 

[MaxTremors]

I would think, although I have no proof, and perhaps it's just wishful thinking, that a large percentage of corals that are in our tanks are not necessarily harvested from the sea, but appropriated via hobbyists fragging and reselling directly to other hobbyists or to the stores who then resell them.

A lot are, but it depends on the species. Most of the larger lps corals (scolymias for example) are mostly wild caught. And even the species that are regularly aquacultured are still not 100% aquacultured, probably not even 75%. Most fish are wild caught (with the exception of a few staples like clownfish). You can always lessen the impact buy acquiring corals from local hobbyists, but if you buy from lfs or online vendors (especially these coral chop shops), even if you buy aqua/maricultured corals, you’re still at the very least indirectly contributing the destruction of reefs. Even if you buy 100% aquacultured, it still originally came from the wild, it still wouldn’t be a completely ethical hobby. And I’m not saying the impact is massive or that we shouldn’t buy wild caught, but it’s a discussion we should have and that we shouldn’t shy away from or point fingers at other industries that are worse.

 

[D E N I N O]

I've already seen it, another forum had a link here which had early access but it doesn't seem to be working right now.

To be honest they made good points in large parts of the film. Without doubt some of it was PETA nonsense, but most of it seemed reasonable and based in truth.

You either have to be lying to yourself or totally uninformed to think this is a morally fine hobby. We do take animals out of the ocean to put them in small glass boxes for our enjoyment at the end of the day. For every fish that makes it to a LFS, many don't. Poor people are collecting with with Cyanide every day for pennies so vendors can sell these fish for hundreds in some cases.

People who say things like "I'm saving the ocean with my reef tank" are not well informed...

If you're going to be in the hobby just accept it's a selfish hobby. You value your enjoyment of these animals over the lives of these animals. It is what it is...

After watching it I'm focusing on tank bred fish where I can but I'm also researching these fish in the wild. I'll never buy a butterfly fish after watching this film. They mate for life, pulling them out and separating them seems cruel.

But I've got no issue with gobies and blenny's from the wild, 70% of them are eaten every week in the wild. I'm confident that they have a longer/better life in my tank. They are also tiny fish.

It's worth watching, it's a fair attack on our hobby. We all know that this isn't good, we all agree that tank bred fish and coral propagation is the future. If this film makes it happen a bit faster then it's good.

 

[alain Bouchard]

We have no say in commercial fishing, acidification and general pollution of oceans and destruction of habitats, but at least, this hobby is a huge contributing factor to a now, largely available range of aqua cultured fishes; while a few years ago, it was almost unthinkable to have fish hatch and survive in artificial environment. We have helped a lot understand marine biology and health. These so called "documentaries" are not trustable as they are built around an pre decided idea. They leave no place to wonder if its good or bad, they only show one side of the medal. They are not documentaries, they are activists propaganda.

 

[zukihara]

We are one step above cow farts. That is what they would have you believe on these agenda-driven documentaries.

Aquarists have given a ton back and advocated and paid for safer harvesting around the world. I doubt that will be mentioned.

 

[WVNed]

The ocean appears to be full of pests, parasites and diseases. Are you sure we shouldn't sterilize it and line it with concrete?
Have you seen the horrible scary things people find in their tanks on here?

 

[FishTruck]

I'd like to see a documentary on the progress of reef replanting operations that are going on around the world. I see that they are happening - but - there is not much footage about how well it is really working.

 

[Aqua Man]

Seaspiracy on Netflix

 

[Clownfish_Boy]

The fact that they are completely turning a blind eye to all the fish caught, killed, and tossed back into the ocean by commercial fishing is just insane.

AMEN !

 

[WVNed]

Throw bomb and collect money has been a very successful money making venture in recent years.

 

[Clownfish_Boy]

The people in the Hawaiian government who placed the ban on collection of aquarium fish are totally without a clue as to what is really going on with the fish & the reefs.

 

[Smarkow]

Wow had not seen. I did check out the cast and crew page and one name was familiar:

Snorkel Bob - sort of a PETA style conservationist (and I do not mean that as a compliment) who has been a very effective PR man for the Hawaiian fishery closure

So part of me wants to see this in a desire to be ethically pure and challenge my own perception of our hobby... and the other part of me assumes I already know what I will see and don’t want them to “get my click.”

Thoughts?

 

[WVNed]

Anyone heard about this documentary? It's basically directing those chop shops online corals sellers

Aquariums: The Dark Hobby — Paradise Filmworks International

thedarkhobby.com

They made it.

Even they dont call it a documentary.

The Dark Hobby is an entertaining expose on this crisis