Illegal Cyanide Fishing

[xoolooxunny]

Unfortunately, cyanide is now being used to catch live fish. Because of overexploitation of coral reef fishes, the fish yields are decreasing. This leads to illegal harvesting practices to keep up with demand.
One of the illegal practices used to harvest fish is called cyanide fishing. In cyanide fishing, crushed cyanide tablets are dissolved in a squirt bottle of water, which is then sprayed toward the fish on top of the coral reefs. The fish are stunned and partially paralyzed, and they float to the surface, making them easy to catch. But cyanide is not just a poison for stunning fish; it also kills the coral animals and their mutualistic algae, and disrupts the marine ecosystem. As coral reefs are destroyed, illegal fisherman move to more pristine reefs in order to continue fishing, eventually destroying those reefs too. Many factors besides cyanide fishing affect the health of th coral reefs, but scientists estimate that the combination of such factors has killed over 25% of the world's coral reefs, and another 30% are in danger. . .

Do you part and make sure your fish purchases are cyanide free and the store knows exactly where they came from. Think about it...if nobody bought them, they wouldn't be caught in this manner.

[angelcakes]

thats horrible...........but i do see your point if people are buying these fish then the demand is greater,but if people knew how there fish were caught then maybe they would stop buying and there would be no need for this cruelty, corals are one thing this planet needs am i wrong?

[Incredulous_Ed]

Why dont we just get our fish from fish farms? Would they be more expensive that way?

[Adrian]

Why dont we just get our fish from fish farms? Would they be more expensive that way?


I wish people would do that, however, people are looking for exotics, and they (the pet stores) are fueled by greed of money. If someone walking in with thousands of dollars for exotic corals, it's pretty hard to turn that down....Unfortunate, but true.

[Tooch]

I had a chance to get a maited pair of clowns last night. They were wild caught. They had another tank with farm raised clowns. I told my fiance and the guy we deal with at our lfs that when it's ready, I only want tank raised fish.

[siymdapolio]

Yup i agree only farm raised wild caught freak me out a lot.. its sad the farm ones havent seen the real world and then they take wild ones and put em in tanks!! Thtas no good!

If the world did not have coral reefs the balance of the ocean would change and it is allready changing my father is quit fond of talking about coral reefs its really wierd...

[Wild Turkey]

I agree whole-heartedly. It is always a good idea to ask your petstore where the fish are from and how they were caught before you buy. Sometimes its hard to tell which fish are dyed or GM fish as well.

[xoolooxunny]

not only can you ask the pet store, but you spread the word as much as possible to other people you know who may otherwise not know any better. Awareness is key here!