From Ocean to Aquarium The global trade in marine ornamental species Colette Wabnitz, Michelle Taylor, Edmund Green and Tries Razak From Ocean to Aquarium The global trade in marine ornamental species Colette Wabnitz, Michelle Taylor, Edmund Green and Tries Razak ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS UNEP World Conservation This report would not have been The authors would like to thank Helen Monitoring Centre possible without the participation of Corrigan for her help with the analyses 219 Huntingdon Road many colleagues from the Marine of CITES data, and Sarah Ferriss for Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK Aquarium Council, particularly assisting in assembling information Tel: +44 (0) 1223 277314 Aquilino A. Alvarez, Paul Holthus and and analysing Annex D and GMAD data Fax: +44 (0) 1223 277136 Peter Scott, and all trading companies on Hippocampus spp. We are grateful E-mail: [email protected] who made data available to us for to Neville Ash for reviewing and editing Website: www.unep-wcmc.org inclusion into GMAD. The kind earlier versions of the manuscript. Director: Mark Collins assistance of Akbar, John Brandt, Thanks also for additional John Caldwell, Lucy Conway, Emily comments to Katharina Fabricius, THE UNEP WORLD CONSERVATION Corcoran, Keith Davenport, John Daphné Fautin, Bert Hoeksema, Caroline MONITORING CENTRE is the biodiversity Dawes, MM Faugère et Gavand, Cédric Raymakers and Charles Veron; for assessment and policy implemen- Genevois, Thomas Jung, Peter Karn, providing reprints, to Alan Friedlander, tation arm of the United Nations Firoze Nathani, Manfred Menzel, Julie Hawkins, Sherry Larkin and Tom Environment Programme (UNEP), the Davide di Mohtarami, Edward Molou, Ogawa; and for providing the picture on world’s foremost intergovernmental environmental organization. UNEP- Wolfgang Mueller, James O’Carroll, p 41, to Yvonne Sadovy. WCMC aims to help decision makers Jan Olsen, Gayatri Reksodihardjo- We are grateful to Marie-Annick recognize the value of biodiversity to Lilley, Martin Selch, Claude Moreau and Kristin Lunn for people everywhere, and to apply this Schuhmacher, Craig Shuman, Derek information on Banggai cardinalfish knowledge to all that they do. The Thomson, Caroline Raymakers, Paul and to Craig Shuman for information Centre’s challenge is to transform West, and Miriam and Danny Winkels on the sea anemone fishery in the complex data into policy-relevant is also very much appreciated. Philippines. information, to build tools and sys- tems for analysis and integration, and to support the needs of nations and PHOTOGRAPHS the international community as they Photos illustrating this report were 25 (right), 46, 48, 53 (left), 55; Ove engage in joint programmes of action. kindly provided by the following. Hoegh-Guldberg: pp 9 (both), 37, 45, 55; © as listed Ofri Johan: pp 24, 34, 56 (right); Marc UNEP-WCMC provides objective, Kochzius: pp 7 (lower right ), 16 (left), scientifically rigorous products and Front cover and title page, left to right: 17, 18, 21 (left), 33, 47 (right), 56 (left); services that include ecosystem A. Edwards, F. Benzoni, C. Genevois, Ed McManus: p 26; George Mitcheson/ assessments, support for implemen- O. Hoegh-Guldberg. National Geographic Society: p 41; tation of environmental agreements, Back cover: C. Genevois. regional and global biodiversity Project Seahorse: pp 10 (A. Vincent), information, research on environ- 21 (A. Vincent), 35 (D. McCorry), 52 Pages: Francesca Benzoni: p 28; Eran mental threats and impacts, and (A. Vincent); Peter Scott: pp 7 (upper development of future scenarios for Brokovich: p 16 (right); CSIRO: p 39 two and lower left), 8 (top), 12, 13, 14 the living world. (both); Alasdair Edwards: pp 6, 36, 43 (both), 47 (left), 53 (right), 57, 58; Colette (both); Cédric Genevois: pp 11, 25 (left), Wabnitz: pp 15, 40; Zoological Survey of 30, 38, 50; Edmund Green: pp 8 (lower), India, Chennai: p 29. Sponsors © UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre 2003 Major financial support from the Citation: Wabnitz, C., Taylor, M., Green, E., Razak, T. 2003. From Ocean to Aquarium. UNEP-WCMC, David and Lucile Packard Foundation Cambridge, UK. is gratefully acknowledged, as is URL: http://www.unep-wcmc.org/resources/publications/UNEP_WCMC_bio_series/17.htm some contributing support from the Bloomberg Foundation. A Banson production Printed in the UK by Swaingrove Imaging The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of UNEP or contributory organizations. The designations employed and the presentations do not imply the expressions of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP or contributory organizations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authority, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. From ocean to aquarium Foreword ost of us at some time or another have enjoyed the undesirable aspects of the industry without risking the relaxing experience of gazing into an aquarium, in economic incentive which aquarium fishers have in caring MMa dentist’s waiting room or during a special visit to for the coral reefs that provide their livelihoods. Where a public aquarium. In admiring the playfulness of clownfish previously much controversy existed between opponents wriggling amongst the anemones’ tentacles, the grace of and supporters of the aquarium trade, most of it based on angelfish swimming in open water and in our delight at polarized opinion and poor information, this publication spotting reclusive shrimp and crabs crawling behind presents sound quantitative data on the species in trade. iridescent living corals, it is all too easy to overlook the fact Through linking trade data to what is known about the life that all these wonderful creatures are far from their natural histories of the target organisms, conservation priorities home. The great majority of animals in aquaria across and management recommendations are identified. Europe and North America were collected from coral reefs I have great pleasure in presenting this report and far away and flown, bagged in plastic and packed in wish to extend the gratitude of the authors to the long list of styrofoam boxes, thousands of miles to our hospitals and collaborating organizations and companies that have made living rooms. it possible. I am confident that the information contained This report, From Ocean to Aquarium: The Global here will assist efforts to promote sustainable practice Trade in Marine Ornamental Species, takes a clear objective within the industry, as well as providing information to look at this international industry. A potential source of casual admirers of marine organisms. income for communities living close to coral reefs, the aquarium trade has been heavily criticised for the use of unsustainable collection techniques and poor husbandry Mark Collins practices. Policy makers have been faced with something of Director a dilemma in trying to control the environmentally UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre 3 From ocean to aquarium Contents Acknowledgements 2 CONSERVATION ISSUES 33 Destructive harvesting practices 33 Foreword 3 Cyanide 33 Impacts on populations 35 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6 Life histories 37 Fish 6 Sex-selective fisheries 42 Corals 7 Species suitability 43 Invertebrates 8 Fishes 43 Corals 45 INTRODUCTION 9 Post-harvesting mortality 46 Invasive species 47 ORGANIZATION OF THE TRADE 12 User conflict 47 Collection 12 Airline transport 13 CONSERVATION EFFORTS 48 At destination 13 Marine Aquarium Council and certification 48 Transhipping 13 Mariculture 49 Governments 14 Corals 49 Associations 14 Fish 51 Invertebrates 54 SOURCES OF TRADE DATA 15 Management initiatives for the trade 54 The Global Marine Aquarium Database (GMAD) 16 Limited access to the fishery 55 Quotas 55 ANALYSIS OF TRADE DATA 18 Size limits 56 Fish 18 Marine reserves 56 Seahorses 20 Temporary closures 57 Corals 22 Stony corals 22 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 58 Soft corals and sea fans 25 Live rock 27 ENDNOTES 59 Invertebrates 29 Giant clams 29 REFERENCES 60 5 From ocean to aquarium Executive summary etween 1.5 and 2 million people worldwide are organisms undermine this potential, and continue to pose believed to keep marine aquaria. The trade significant challenges to achieving sustainability. As a BBwhich supplies this hobby with live marine result the trade has seldom been free of controversy as animals is a global multi-million dollar industry, worth traders try to generate a profit, conservationists try to an estimated US$200-330 million annually, and oper- avoid further decline in coral reefs also suffering from ating throughout the tropics. Ornamental marine other pressures, and policy makers try to assemble a species (corals, other invertebrates and fish) are legislative framework that protects coral reefs without collected and transported mainly from Southeast Asia, threatening a legitimate business activity or the incomes but also increasingly from several island nations in the of communities engaged in aquarium fishing. Indian and Pacific Oceans, to consumers in the main In the main, this debate has taken place without destination markets: the United States, the European access to impartial and quantitative data on the trade and, Union (EU) and, to a lesser extent, Japan. with so many different viewpoints, achieving consensus Very few of the species in trade are exploited on its impacts, and hence the identification of suitable directly for other purposes, and there is little doubt that responses, has been difficult. In 2000, the United Nations aquarium