Interesting article this week:

[danR777]

Sparkling fish, murky methods: the global aquarium trade

LES, Indonesia (AP) — After diving into the warm sea off the coast of northern Bali, Indonesia, Made Partiana hovers above a bed of coral, holding his breath and scanning for flashes of color and movement.

apnews.com

 

[Nano sapiens]

I read this recently and unfortunately cyanide and even dynamite fishing are still a thing in some of these countries. I've seen it personally and the aftermath...disheartening for sure.

Can't argue that the holding/shipping process can typically be improved to provide less mortality and healthier fish. Problem is that the consumer typically doesn't know where the fish came from (often the same for the LFS), so perhaps the only way for us to possibly influence/improve the situation is for us to buy enough captive bred fish that the exporters/importers take notice.

As for the effects of removing fish with non-destructive means, what always strikes me as odd is the fact that very few, if any, of these articles mentions the fact that they are literally swimming in a sea with larval organisms 'waiting for an apartment' (a space on the reef). When a reef fish is removed, it's living space is quickly taken over by another (same or different species) and this is evident as these divers have been visiting the same locations on the reefs at various time intervals for many years to collect. As long as the reef itself is not degraded and the collection pressure isn't extraordinarily high, the fish stock naturally repopulates under normal circumstances.