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‘Use aquarium fish
sustainably’
Friday September 13, 2002
Fish has always been an integral part of survival,
and at the Fish for the Future lecture on Wednesday night Helen Sykes
of Resort Support spoke on the feasibility of aquarium fish for the
future. She said today not all fishing
was for food fish species.
Speaking on the fishing for the aquarium trade, she said: “About 10 companies in Fiji collect and sell organisms for the aquarium trade. Some sell live fish, some live corals, and some “live rock” (dead coral covered in pink algae) She said some of these companies had been operating for over 15 years. In the course of its establishment the aquarium trade has had and still has its share of conflicts derived from the amount of dollars earned from selling the product or the dollars earned from viewing the product.“Different stakeholders have different priorities. Where aquarium collectors use the same areas as tourism operatives, there are clashes of interests that are very difficult to settle,” said Ms Sykes.
“In resort areas, fish and corals have a value to divers and snorkellers who will pay to see them. To local people not employed in tourism, fish and corals have more value when caught and sold,” she said. She spoke on the sustainability of the industry and said companies involved understood that if collection is not done sustainably, there will be no species for future trade.
The Daily Post