Saltwater Hobby Good or Bad (for preservation)

[Raphael Dalmeida]

Hi,

Recently I came across a documentary on freshwater fish keeping that made very valid points on how important the aquarium trade is on preserving specific species that otherwise would never be discovered due to contamination and destruction of natural environments.

Simultaneously keeping certain species where their habitats were destroyed already could be a way of saving them from extinction.

Can this also be valid for the Saltwater Hobby?

What are the goods or bads that his hobby does to the environment?

Open for discussion, keen on seeing the forum's thoughts.

 

[Timfish]

I would say the most important benefit is it creates an economic incentive for native people to preserve their reefs instead of using them as a source of food and building material. I am all for intellegent, science based regulations that promote preserving nature.

Banning the collection of adult Queen Angels iarguably should have been done sooner. The Moorish Idol is one example of a species that should only be collected by permitted research institutions.

Unfortunatley regulations are often based on emotional arguments that seemingly should benefit ecosystems but don't consider the negative economic impact or the long term impact of shifts in ecosystems. One example is when Kenya banned hunting instead of populations of large mammals increasing they declined by over 70%, in part because the economic incentive to preserve thei natural habitat was lost (The Role Of Hunting, Temple Grandin "Animals MAke Us Human"). Hawai'i's Ban on collecting Yellow Tangs is another worrisome example. Hawai'i conducted "SHark Control" from the mid 50's to th mid 70's seriously disrupting the reefs ecosystems. Yellow Tang populations were not counted until the mid 70's so we do not know what a healthy reef ecosystem should look like in terms of Yellow Tang populations. Data collected since 1999 byt Hawai'i's Department of Aquatic Rexources (DAR) shows Yellow Tangs outcompeteing most other species in protected areas. A notable example is the decline of Achillis Tangs in protected areas while the populations in areas they can be collected has remained more robust.

 

[NeedAReef]

One can see the technology improvements even hobbyists have contributed as well as the science they have with breeding especially. I am thinking that goes a long way to our understanding of the reefs and of the species there.

I would say the most important benefit is it creates an economic incentive for native people to preserve their reefs instead of using them as a source of food and building material. I am all for intellegent, science based regulations that promote preserving nature.

Banning the collection of adult Queen Angels iarguably should have been done sooner. The Moorish Idol is one example of a species that should only be collected by permitted research institutions.

Unfortunatley regulations are often based on emotional arguments that seemingly should benefit ecosystems but don't consider the negative economic impact or the long term impact of shifts in ecosystems. One example is when Kenya banned hunting instead of populations of large mammals increasing they declined by over 70%, in part because the economic incentive to preserve thei natural habitat was lost (The Role Of Hunting, Temple Grandin "Animals MAke Us Human"). Hawai'i's Ban on collecting Yellow Tangs is another worrisome example. Hawai'i conducted "SHark Control" from the mid 50's to th mid 70's seriously disrupting the reefs ecosystems. Yellow Tang populations were not counted until the mid 70's so we do not know what a healthy reef ecosystem should look like in terms of Yellow Tang populations. Data collected since 1999 byt Hawai'i's Department of Aquatic Rexources (DAR) shows Yellow Tangs outcompeteing most other species in protected areas. A notable example is the decline of Achillis Tangs in protected areas while the populations in areas they can be collected has remained more robust

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

Our hobby has a positive effect on the reefs as a whole. Most importantly, it gives communities a financial stake in preserving the reef. One example of this is the use of coral as a building material. In some parts of the world coral and live rock is taken from the reef, dried in the sun, and used to build housing. If collectors are being paid fairly for fish and small pieces of live coral, they have an incentive not to rip chunks out of the reef to kill and use as structures. We must always consider the future. Right now, global warming is projected to kill most of the coral reefs within the century. Someday, maybe we will have solved global warming and brought the seas back to normal. The coral that can be used to replant the reefs may come from our tanks. Of course, that isn't to say that our hobby has no bad effects. While some LPS and basically all SPS and softies can quickly regrow any pieces that we collect on the reef, solitary open brain corals and anemones have the potential to be locally extirpated by over harvesting. The hobby can also be dangerous for some people. People have died trying to collect deepwater fish for our tanks. We should consider all of these things individually when keeping a reef tank. Personally, I have decided that the positive impact is greater than the bad, and continue to reef.

*edit*

I think that I may have seen that documentary. Was it the one by Coralfish12g?

 

[Eric R.]

I would say the most important benefit is it creates an economic incentive for native people to preserve their reefs instead of using them as a source of food and building material. I am all for intellegent, science based regulations that promote preserving nature.

Banning the collection of adult Queen Angels iarguably should have been done sooner. The Moorish Idol is one example of a species that should only be collected by permitted research institutions.

Unfortunatley regulations are often based on emotional arguments that seemingly should benefit ecosystems but don't consider the negative economic impact or the long term impact of shifts in ecosystems. One example is when Kenya banned hunting instead of populations of large mammals increasing they declined by over 70%, in part because the economic incentive to preserve thei natural habitat was lost (The Role Of Hunting, Temple Grandin "Animals MAke Us Human"). Hawai'i's Ban on collecting Yellow Tangs is another worrisome example. Hawai'i conducted "SHark Control" from the mid 50's to th mid 70's seriously disrupting the reefs ecosystems. Yellow Tang populations were not counted until the mid 70's so we do not know what a healthy reef ecosystem should look like in terms of Yellow Tang populations. Data collected since 1999 byt Hawai'i's Department of Aquatic Rexources (DAR) shows Yellow Tangs outcompeteing most other species in protected areas. A notable example is the decline of Achillis Tangs in protected areas while the populations in areas they can be collected has remained more robust.

I think this only succeeds if the hobby (industry and trade mostly, not the end hobbyist) ensures responsible collection methods, which doesn't happen. Regulation is left to different governments where collection occurs, or by those inspecting shipments upon point of arrival. As you mention, instead of subtle responses, without regulation on practices by the industry, the result is government bans.

 

[Eric R.]

I think the industry needs to focus less on increasing the number of new hobbyists that enter the hobby as their primary source of income, and more on how to make reef keeping a sustainable experience for wild reefs and hobbyists alike, so that hobbyists stay in it for the long term and have healthy fish and corals that are best suited for captive care by beginners that are also setup for success. Starting new hobbyists off with easy to keep captive bred corals and fish as they get used to the learning curve is one way to do it. It's also ridiculous that cyanide is still used for collecting wild fish in places.

 

[ZoWhat]

We're consumers killing 95% of most things inside 5yrs. There are exceptions but not many

 

[jda]

IMO, you cannot compare the SW hobby to FW, or at least the ones that are breeding fish and keeping species alive. The FW folks that do this will spare no expense, will have many, many tanks and put their fish in the paramount position for them to be able to breed wether it be species specific tanks, barren tanks, tanks with pH, etc. Lots of them have thousands of gallons of tanks that take up massive amounts of room and everything that they do is to make the world the best place for their fish or shrimp.

Most of the saltwater crowd make the tank for them and let the corals or fish fend for themselves.. First, fish are nearly impossible for most to breed, so let's set them aside. The ones that do get bred seem to be mutts anyway (clownfish) and while totally cool for our hobby, nobody would ever let those go back into nature. A lot of the rest of the fish that are captive bred are abundant. For corals, most just do the bare minimum that they can do keep coral alive... they don't try and emulate natural conditions whether it be lighting or water parameters - they do what works for themselves like heavy blue lighting coming up with some fringe reason why this is OK (like corals are only collected at 100 meters where there is only blue light). This is fine, but it is the opposite approach that the FW breeding community takes.

As for the environment, I cannot think of much that we do is good. I have solar to power my tanks which makes me feel a bit better, but don't think for a moment that I don't think about the fuel costs needed to get marine life from the ocean to Colorado. I can keep fish alive to almost always their natural end of life (old age), which makes me feel a bit better too. The material cost of bad equipment going into the trash. The pollution that China throws into the world to make a lot of this stuff. I mostly try and buy US and EU equipment to try and help this too. I have given fish and corals to public aquaria for display and education. Everything that I do to help is still probably small gains.

In the end, we are likely just consumers and give nearly nothing back. The FW community is down this road too, but not as far. IMO, there will be a day where all that we can get is captive bred fish and corals propagated in captivity and we will have nobody but ourselves to blame. Husbandry will have to change with the rank and file hobbyist to focus on the inhabitants and less about them. Prices will probably be really high, but most can gravitate to keeping things alive long term.

 

[Raphael Dalmeida]

Does anyone have any idea on the impact of the hobby in terms of collection vs the impact of current environmental issues ?

(e.g.: ocean temperatures, crown of thorns, ocean acidification).

Looking on the bright side if the impact is not extremely significant as some current environmental issues, I'd say the hobby is positive as its an industry that has value, employs people etc.

If not for it, not many people would care about current issues (which are probably much more damaging than just collection).

In terms of species I can think of selective breeding and aquacultured corals possibly being a good thing.

 

[Raphael Dalmeida]

Our hobby has a positive effect on the reefs as a whole. Most importantly, it gives communities a financial stake in preserving the reef. One example of this is the use of coral as a building material. In some parts of the world coral and live rock is taken from the reef, dried in the sun, and used to build housing. If collectors are being paid fairly for fish and small pieces of live coral, they have an incentive not to rip chunks out of the reef to kill and use as structures. We must always consider the future. Right now, global warming is projected to kill most of the coral reefs within the century. Someday, maybe we will have solved global warming and brought the seas back to normal. The coral that can be used to replant the reefs may come from our tanks. Of course, that isn't to say that our hobby has no bad effects. While some LPS and basically all SPS and softies can quickly regrow any pieces that we collect on the reef, solitary open brain corals and anemones have the potential to be locally extirpated by over harvesting. The hobby can also be dangerous for some people. People have died trying to collect deepwater fish for our tanks. We should consider all of these things individually when keeping a reef tank. Personally, I have decided that the positive impact is greater than the bad, and continue to reef.

*edit*

I think that I may have seen that documentary. Was it the one by Coralfish12g?

Yes that's the doc I've seen.

I've read about it before but never really stopped to think much about it.

Also looking at what other scientists are doing in terms of genetic modification and selective breeding of corals is interesting.
Here in Queensland Australia, there's also a lot of research on controlling populations of crown of thorns starfish.

Though seems that most of the real danger comes from a much larger environmental issue rather than collection.

 

[mindme]

If you want to save a species - start consuming it. Look at how much beef humans eat, Cows aren't going extinct any time soon. While things like veggies may have grown natively in the past, the amount of them grown is certainly much higher now than ever before.

I usually mean that to mean start eating it. But I also think buying and selling also fits the bill.

It's kind of counter intuitive, but basically you give incentive to preserve them.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Good discussion! I agree that the reef aquarium hobby is a positive for reef conservation. There are some negatives, for sure, but especially with the push for sustainability, I think there's a lot that is accomplished. I also think that the education about reefs and the need for conservation is something that comes along with being a reef hobbyist. So by being a part of this hobby, a much wider swath of the population comes to understand marine life and its needs and what can be done to contribute to conservation solutions.

 

[zoaprince]

We're consumers killing 95% of most things inside 5yrs. There are exceptions but not many

I agree. Thinking of all the corals I killed when I was a noob makes me cringe and think we are not doing good for reefs. Even now, one large mistake could wipe out my entire tank.

However, I do see the point others are making. "If it doesn't make money, it doesn't make sense".

 

[damsels are not mean]

I think this hobby is small and mostly negligible in terms of impact. If anything the impact is somewhat positive as it incentivizes fishermen to effectively catch less fish. All the negative impacts on the hobby are done 100x over by the commercial fishing industry, and are done at a much higher overall volume all over the world. Ours is the collection of a select group of species that are mostly abundant in the wild and not affected by collection much.

 

[Costareefer]

I have been keeping a reef tank for 25 years and scuba diving for 30. It’s a real simple answer. The answer is yes the hobby is going to aid in the survival of many species. Already people/groups like the coral restoration project are using tried and true practices developed in the reef hobby to repopulate reefs. In recent years massive break through have happened in the ability to get difficult reef fish to spawn in captivity. That will not only protect fish from capture but will also offer science the ability to repopulate many species if there is a mass die off or a significant climate shift. This has come at the expense of some scrupulous practices for collection; however, those days are dwindling and science now has the tools learned at the expense of some habitat.

the draw back I see are introducing new species into established ecosystems but even then nature will balance itself out eventually. The best example are lionfish or taxifolia caulerpa.

 

[sghera64]

If I had not taken up reefing, I would have taken up flying (jets) and probably would have been money ahead to boot. All that to say, for all the environmental impact our hobby has, the offset might be the time it keeps us from wrecking the environment in other ways. I spend so many hours on R2R trying to solve my reefing problems I’ll bet I even flush the toilet less often. If I crash my reef, it will be a crash I can walk away from. . . Not so much if I crash my jet.

 

[GARRIGA]

When I started cyanide was common place. Confident that our hobby has been more detrimental than good but it has improved. Goes for fishing as well. At least I hope it has. Hopefully in time more will be incentivized toward captive bred. I've seen the evolve with Reptiles although often because wild sources were shut down. Might be ultimately the best solution for all involved. Change won't happen as long as wild caught is cheaper. Just the reality of the economics. Business isn't run based on sentiment.

 

[Lovefish77]

This is a complicated but very interesting discussion. I think we all in this hobby for our own selfish interest of enjoying a piece of the ocean (at least I can certainly say that about myself). But i will share just a few thoughts:
- If the hobbyist are a bit honest with themselves, every reef tank will serve like a small Noah's ark in a way. It is keeping a piece of the ocean and in a combined form, all of these satellite reef tanks (owned by thousands of reefers) contribute to this Noah's ark concept. However, this has a caveat and i will throw my personal experience. At one point I wanted to have a dominant acro tank so badly, but i was not successful in that front. Soon afterwards i decided to stick to corals that are thriving in my tanks (black widow anemones, lps,etc). Point i want to make here if you try a certain coral once or twice and you didn't have success with it, just don't it again unless you have done something radically different to justify trying that same coral you were unfortunate with before. That i believe will relieve a lot of deaths we encounter.
- Second point i would bring up here is livestock death during shipping, that is a unavoidable unfortunately. So we all bear that risk. If whoever ships corals (retailers and individuals) put more money into packaging material i think that would help a lot. But retailers are very interested in the bottom line so they try to minimize shipping material cost by any means. But for us hobbyists shipping to each other we have the option to put more diligence into using decent shipping material.
- The last point is the most critical in my humble opinion. Everyone in the hobby should have a "net-positive" contribution to the hobby. By that i mean you have to add value to the hobby; for instance by sticking to a coral that keeps growing on you and you frag and spread that coral (i.e. you start with one head and turn that into 20 heads or more). The total opposite of that is what i call "import-frag-and-flip" model; whereby individuals or retailers would import corals break them up into smaller frags and then sell. With shipping deaths the net impact of these people on the hobby is a "sure-negative". I think this point is critical, nothing wrong with importing cheap corals, but people should grow them (i.e. multiply and add value) and then sell.

Hope this helps..sorry for the long write up
Happy Reefing

 

[Tom Does Disney]

These days, and even moreso moving forward, these animals wont exist in the wild period. Thank god for the hobby.

 

[Brian_68]

After seeing a full reef turn completely bare and devastated from a visit 5 years prior in St. John I am not sure it really matters. Full fields of thriving coral growing close to the surface were non- existent in a short period of time. There is clearly more going on than collecting coral and / or fish.