Is there a limitation on wild caught fish?

[VoZe]

I am new to this hobby but I love everything about it, from the corals to the fish and even the people but sometimes I feel bad when I see a fish that was caught from the big ocean and place in a small glass box for our entertainment, so what I wanted to know was if there is a limitation on wild caught fish and if so who’s regulating it and how well is it regulated.

 

[ThunderGoose]

Great question and the answer is... it depends.

Different states and different countries have different regulations. In places where collecting for the aquarium trade is well regulated it can actually be a benefit to the local reef habitat! People making a living off of a healthy reef are more likely to protect it. And most of the critters available have healthy wild populations. I've even heard (unconfirmed) that the pajama cardinalfish are largely collected from a place where they are not native and are actually a pest species.

And don't feel (too) bad about individuals in your tank. The vast majority of fish die before they reach sexual maturity so the odd are that that fish wouldn't have survived anyway.

As an alternative Live Aquaria has a LOT of options for captive bred.

 

[Ocelaris]

It varies by fishery. Hawaii has good regulation, other areas less so. I would put to you the difference between limits in Hawaii. There are limits on collection for 'ornamental' fish for the hobby, but there is no limits on spear fishing or other 'game' fishing. So yes, we're all hoping that captive breeding continues to be successful, but in the scheme of things, what's worse, a fish entering a home where they're appreciated (loved?) or eaten? Also lifespan in a glass box (under good conditions) greatly exceeds that of fish in the wild.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Every country has their own rules and limits. Some are quite strict and some are very lax.

Here in the US every state has its own rules and even some counties and cities have their own rules which are even more restrictive than the state.

I do some collecting here in Florida and in the Keys I have to adhere to the state limits, but at home in SW Florida, Lee County has slightly stricter regs and the city of Sanibel is even more strict than Lee county. BTW, get caught with illegal stuff or over the limit collection and you are looking at heavy fines and even possible jail time. Just having one small stony coral (all stonys are illegal in Florida) can cost you $1000 fine or more. And you can collect zoas, but the limit is 5 polyps, per licensed collector per day!

 

[VoZe]

That’s some very good points you guys made and I hope as time goes by, this hobby gets more captive bred fish species, but as a reefer is there anything we can do to make sure that people in other countries can have better regulations because there is still many species of fish that are being taken from the wild to often and when they arrive, their chances of surviving are slim and would probably had survived longer if they had not been taking out of their habitats. I’m not against reefing at all but I do want a better way of doing it, one that is more environmentally friendly but I guess the system we have now is probably the best we can do until someone creates a better way to to keep wild fish in a home aquarium

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

if you dont want to be part of the destruction of reefs then do NOT buy fish from the Philippines. It doesnt matter what the regulations say because there is absolutely no enforcement.

I have heard the same about Malaysia and Africa.

note: I lived on a tiny island in the Philippines for 2 years and saw everything first hand. It was a bad scene.

 

[VoZe]

if you dont want to be part of the destruction of reefs then do NOT buy fish from the Philippines. It doesnt matter what the regulations say because there is absolutely no enforcement.

I have heard the same about Malaysia and Africa.

note: I lived on a tiny island in the Philippines for 2 years and saw everything first hand. It was a bad scene.

I hear the same about Indonesia and that’s where I’m from so it’s kinda sad to hear that my home country is destroying their reef

 

[VoZe]

But I think it’s getting a bit better there, I’m not to sure though

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

those people are just trying to survive. Most people dont understand just how poor many of those people are.
the collectors I knew didn't even have masks. they used googles that they carved out of wood and glued pieces of glass in with tar.

One guy was super pimped with gear...he had a dive light... which was a flashlight wrapped in a plastic bag and like 300 rubber bands. No shortage of plastic bags though. If you ever needed one you could just grab one off the reef.

The memories are actually making me pretty bummed. Just QT and do EVERYTHING to keep your fish healthy. If that seems like too much work just get a cat.

 

[VoZe]

I QT all my fish even my freshwater fish because I have spend to much time and money on them