<Would a list of what is commonly offered from the
area be of use? Maybe as a side bar? Perhaps as a separate
article.>
Where can you get the best yellow, convict, gold rim
among other tangs? How about longnose, saddleback et al. butterflies?
Here's a real clue; what area is the only source for the blue line
butterflyfish, potters and bandit angels? Answer: Hawaii.
The reasons abound why the fiftieth State is the location
of choice for marines that can be gotten there:
1) Careful collection, handling and shipping by
locals.
2) The enterprise is closely monitored and controlled by
the government.
3) Close proximity to U.S. markets coupled with regular,
frequent flights to the mainland (and Japan).
4) Initial high quality and quantity of stocks.
This article will expand on these attributes.
1) Collection; the People & Technique:
Gathering wildlife underwater in Hawaii is one of the
last domains of the wildcat independent. It's each person for
themselves going off almost daily to favored areas in small skiffs. It
fills one with wonder to meet these people; no two are alike, yet they
share a spiritual love and respect for the sea, and it's
inhabitants. Many are native Hawaiians.
Of all the chains major islands, the bulk of fishes and
invertebrates are collected from the Big Island (Hawaii), the
groups' namesake, with Oahu making up most of the rest.
And what an island it is! The Big Island is big; @ 4,038 square miles, approximately the size of
Connecticut, it is more than twice the size of the rest of the Hawaiian
islands combined. The second largest cattle ranch in the United States
is on this island; the Parker, with more than two hundred thousand
acres.
Hawaii's entire perimeter is surrounded by lava rock
and coral reefs, a diver, pet-fish, and collector's paradise.
Back to collecting. Each boat is self-contained including
capture and transport gear; nets, "chase poles", holding
buckets (more like net type clothes hampers with a spring loaded top),
recirculating tanks for the ride back, decompression hang lines with
clips, and lots of scuba gear.
A typical collecting day goes something like this; all
the tools loaded and gassed up, the boat is launched and motored out to
site. Bottom time is optimized best by the use of a dive computer that
accurately co-tracks and warns of limits of nitrogen saturation. At the
bottom a barrier/mist net is played out in a propitious spot in a rough
"J" shape. The transparent barrier nets here are taller than
I've ever seen anyplace else; 10-12 feet high. In part this is to
accommodate the often uneven and steeply sloped environment, but mostly
it's to waylay the various species that would easily ascend/descend
over/under shorter nets. In the crook of the "J" a deep
pocket is made by placing a stone a few feet up and into the net.
Desired fishes are driven into this "J" pocket by a charging
diver waving "chase poles". There are several variations of
these tools but the most productive versions are bright colored
fiberglass of about six foot length.
From the mist net fishes are hand-netted and transferred
to hamper-size collection buckets for safe storage and decompression.
At the end of each session the diver gathers his/her gear and heads for
the surface for a decompression/safety stop. While there and on the
boat, biding time blowing off nitrogen, they "make a couple of
wraps" every few minutes on the specimen container lines, slowly
bringing the buckets topside. Yes, most fishes will get 'the
bends' if brought up too quickly.
After all the catching and lifting sorties the fish
(& invertebrates) are brought onto the boat which is quickly
motored back to dock. Livestock are re-netted to a 'truck tank'
and live-hauled to a garage set-up or industrial space. Here they are
warehoused, hardened, and consolidated into a saleable lot; optimally a
cargo-container full that will be shipped en masse either to a U.S. or
Japanese marine wholesaler.
The holding facilities I've seen in Hawaii run the
full gamut of sophistication. Some friends (acknowledged below) are
typical; they share a large home garage arrangement incorporating a
centralized recirculating system with two protein skimmers, a fluidized
bed filter, ammonia-ring towers, utilizing natural seawater. Are you
surprised there aren't at least two sub-systems for invertebrates
or safety? Steve (Keiilina) tells me they don't add much (no need)
to the system's water; no copper, etc. They do reduce the specific
gravity by adding fresh & generally ship in the same system
water.
Hawaiian shipping styro's are called coffin boxes
because of their oblong shape, as opposed to the common double
Styrofoam containers of most everywhere else. People there know to pack
their shipments loosely. ; about 15-20
organisms of medium size per box, less than half the concentration and
with twice plus the volume of water of Indo. or the P.I. shipments. And
the difference shows. The survivability and vigor of Hawaiian livestock
must be experienced first hand to be appreciated. I have seen many one
hundred percent live, zero DOA shipments from Hawaii; extremely few
from other areas outside the U.S..
(2) It's the Law, Brah:
Live pet-fish collecting is a licensed, inspected
enterprise in Hawaii. Boats and facilities are taxed/licensed and
regularly examined. Each fish that is caught, shipped or dies is
accounted for. Can the same be said for geographic regions not under
United States jurisdiction? No.
(3) The Universal Ingredient, Time
How long wild caught livestock is held before shipping is
crucial. Many fishes such as surgeons continuously graze the reef
during the day. Weeks may pass between capture and air freight before
livestock leave the Philippines, days from Hawaii. I could regale you
with anecdotes of having my Asian shipments bumped by the airlines for
electronics shipments to the U.S., being left on the hot tarmac, etc.,
but I think you catch my drift. The situation is this simple; the
shorter the time in transit, the better the quality of livestock.
(4) Holy Shannon-Wiener Species Diversity Index!
The abundance and diversity of shallow reef life is
excellently high. Except for the occasional catastrophic meteorological
event, there is a year round supply of catch-able food and ornamental
fishes. Further, due to Hawaii's remote placement and ocean
currents, about a third of the life there is endemic; found nowhere
else.
Some Conclusion:
I can't encourage you enough to keep your eyes open
for cheap flights to the Aloha State and to go there. The water is warm
and clear year round. Can't keep Reticulated, Ornatissimus
Butterflyfishes, Moorish Idols? Tinker's butterfly too pricey to
purchase? Go visit them.
In the finite game of pet-fishing, Hawaiian livestock is
a winner. They are worth every penny; they live due to better handling,
public regulation, shorter flight times, and better initial
quality.
Special thanks (Mahalo) to Steve Keiilina of Aquatic
Design Systems and Tammy and Eric Rood of Ocean Pacific Tropicals;
collectors to wholesalers on the Big Island of Hawaii, for friendship
and instruction re their philosophy and way of business life. They may
be reached @ 75-300 Aloha Kona Dr., Kailua Kona 96740,
808-329-8569.
/Slides: Semi-intelligent/intelligible
caption material
1) A laundry basket of yellow tangs Zebrasoma
flavescens, kept separate in a holding tub to reduce intraspecific
aggression with larger conspecifics, as well as to facilitate clean-up
from messy feeding/defecation, and re-capture.
2) Same as one above, but showing the larger individuals
underneath.
3 and 4) The man and his boat. Steve Keiilina and the
Piilani. Would you go out in the open ocean in this vessel?
5) A real inventive Cargo Container; this one used to
ship in Styrofoam boxes and tops, and to "size-up" outgoing
orders. Scheduling and shipping by the airlines' standard size
boxes is the only way to operate. These aluminum units are light,
quickly loaded and fit right into the freight-belly of the plane.
6) Steve in front of the holding systems main filtration
units; larger versions of the same gear hobbyists utilize. Protein
skimmers, ammonia towers, ozonizer and ultraviolet sterilizer.
7) Wholesalers at rest. Steve, Tammy & Eric Hood at
the other side of their home/garage facility.
8) Eric and one of the humungous
hamper-with-a-spring-loaded-top catch/holding containers. Compatible
new captures are placed in these for safe keeping and decompression
stops.
Hawaiian Aquarium Fish Collecting Ban
10/24/17
Aloha Bob, I’m a free-diver and have gotten better at catching fish
underwater over the years here on the Big Island.
<Definitely a learned skill! And am a BIG fan of the big island>
Its definitely challenging! I use two hand nets and have refrained from
using a barrier net over the years. But with interest in collecting
harder to capture specimens I been thinking about getting or making one.
<I have articles on such on WWM>
Just when I decided to give it a go they ban aquarium fish collecting.
<Actually; the governor vetoed that bill, thank goodness>
Now I know it’s for retail sale but I can’t get a clear sense if you can
still get a license for collecting for personal use.
<I think a fishing license will do it here>
I know the restrictions state that use of a net over 3 feet requires a
collectors license. Do you happen to know the status of collecting for
personal use out here?
<As stated>
If not, I’ll be contacting DLNR.
<Good idea>
I wanted to get a larger Raccoon BFF for my tide pool / fuge to eat all
those Aiptasia! I could keep my extra catches in the Fuge but eventually
I’d have to add more water volume, I know. If were to plumb into my
existing system a larger display for BFF and Angels would you suggest to
keep it a FOWLR system?
<Mmm; I'd keep them in your main/display>
I want to avoid using copper so would be going for prevention with tying
it into the existing system for bigger volume / stability. It’s just an
idea for now but we all must dream, right!
<Prophylactic pH adjusted freshwater dips should prevent the worst of
parasitic introductions. Again, archived on WWM>
This hobby keeps me sane in-between work mode. ;-) With all the cray
cray stuff going on in the world we all know we can use a little more
peace. Looking forward to ordering and readying your book on BFF! ;-)
In Gratitude,
Sky Kubby
<Be chatting Sky! Hope to be back visiting in Kailua soon. BobF>
Re: Hawaiian Aquarium Fish Collecting Ban
10/25/27
Really!? That’s great to hear the Gov. Vetoes that bill. They went from
totally unregulated to trying to ban all aquarium collecting.
<... have dealt w/ Snarky Bob and Rene Umberger for too many years re>
There’s got to be a middle ground.
<Agreed; there is enough science to effectively manage the resource. I
would limit licensing on Kona... and hire more personnel for census>
Bob, It definitely would be a pleasure to dive with you and catch some
dinner.
<Ahh! I see us getting together Sky!>
I haven’t gone SCUBA in years but am starting to warm up to it. I’m
realizing even if I do a 100 ft. free dive drop like I do spearfishing
and collect some Anthias, I can’t just bring them up.
<Correct. Would have to stow in a container; haul up slowly>
Diving with tanks would allow me to properly decompress them. But 20
min.s every 6 feet!! - is that really necessary?
<No... About five-ten min.s every 20 feet is good enough>
Who would you recommend I connect with to get back in with tanks?
<I was good friends w/ Norm at Big Island Divers, but he sold a few
years ago. I mostly use Jack's when visiting there nowayears, for
renting tanks and weights, putting friends on a boat for the manta go at
Keohole>
I haven’t SCUBA’d since St. Croix when I was 15years old ;-) My wife is
interested now too! ;-)
In Gratitude,
Sky Kubby
<I say get on out there! There is a pretty active scuba club in Kailua;
but they're... well they used to be a bit clique-ish. BobF>
Reef Aquaria + Conservation,
HI 9/8/10
Aloha Bob,
<Ahh, Cody... your attached file, input is very timely indeed.
I hope you give me permission to send your note and attachment to
James Lawrence begin_of_the_skype_highlighting of Coral
Magazine for consideration of possible publishing... Further, I
would ask your permission to post these items on WetWebMedia.com.
I am trying to write something similar in the way of an
editorial/position paper on Zebrasoma flavescens... and coming up
with very similar observations, and suggestions. To wit: the need
to assess OSYield, MSYield, the very real usefulness of
limiting/limited entry of licensees... Might I further ask your
opinion of how badly underreported catches are in HI?>
I recently completed my master's in the University of Hawaii
at Hilo's Tropical Conservation Biology graduate program (May
2009) and have since relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area. Not
sure if you remember, but my thesis subject was on the
Potter's angelfish and its associated collection for the
aquarium hobby as well as conservation. Now I work for Andy
Schmidt at San Francisco Bay Brand/Ocean Nutrition. J
<Ahh, please say hello to Andy for me>
As you can see, I'm a die-hard aquarium industry guy and am
very passionate about working on marine aquarium/reef
conservation issues. I'm looking to help out wherever I can
from the industry side. I did some work for the Hawaii Tropical
Fish Association last year (to help with their website) and I
submitted written testimony against HB 3225 in 2008 (see
attached).
<Outstanding>
I just read your CORAL magazine rebuttal to Robert Wintner's
latest commentary and, of course, you hit the nail right on the
head. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help
out in Hawaii or elsewhere or if you maybe have some ideas about
spreading the message of reef conservation through the industry.
Any connections you might have to other reef aquarium
conservationists would be great also.
Sincerely,
Cody Chapin, M.S.
San Francisco Bay Brand
<Cody, please respond whether you would permit my posting this
letter, your input, and sending along to JamesL. Thank you for
your efforts. Bob Fenner>
James, please read through the messages below and find
Cody's input attached here. BobF
Re: Reef Aquaria +
Conservation 9/8/10
Bob,
<Cody>
You absolutely have my permission to forward the letter to James
Lawrence begin_of_the_skype_highlighting and to post to
WetWebMedia.com. Let me know if it should be updated to reflect
the most current pieces of legislation and/or the latest
goings-on concerning the AQ fishery in Hawaii'¦ the
original document was drafted to address HB3225, which is now
long gone. I'll be happy to update it.
<For timeliness sake, I think it's fine for posting to
WWM>
William Walsh with the Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources in
Kona is a great contact to have if you have questions about
current and past attempts to establish OSYield, MSYield, and
fisheries management tools in the AQ fishery throughout the
State.
<Thank you. I have met Bill>
He's a really busy guy and hard to catch sometimes but
he's a WEALTH of knowledge. I don't think there are any
clear estimates on the level of underreporting in
Hawaii'¦ I'll go back in my thesis and check to see
if I have anything more specific. I will also forward a copy of
my final thesis to you on C. potteri.
As for Z. flavescens, Jeremy Claisse is the graduate student at
UH-Manoa that was working on yellow tang population dynamics the
last time I checked. I think he was working on his masters in
collaboration with the Oceanic Institute on Oahu (Charles Laidley
is the contact in the finfish department at OI). Always feel free
to contact me if you have any more questions.
<Again, I thank you. BobF>
Cody Chapin, M.S.
San Francisco Bay Brand
|
Aloha,
When attempting to manage natural
resources--like Hawaiian coral reefs--that exhibit a high
degree of environmental complexity
and equally are influenced by multiple human activities,
difficulty can
rapidly arise. Often, incapacity
to discern environmental variability from the effects of human
activities like
fishing can lead to disagreement
and controversy over fishery regulation. The latest product of
such
controversy is Hawai'i Senate
Bill No. 3225, which imposes bag limits on certain species of
ornamental
fish and completely prohibits the
collection of others. Although current regulations specific to
the
collection of aquarium fish are
negligible and restrictions may be warranted to limit the
individual size,
number, season, or particular
species collected, the mandates outlined by this hastily-proposed
legislation
are clearly intended to
destabilize the Hawaiian aquarium fishery and the livelihoods of
associated
stakeholders rather than to
produce helpful resource management solutions. The passing of
this bill in its
current form would haphazardly
abandon decades of legislative progress in Hawai'i and,
without
considering the latest scientific
evidence, carelessly undermine the most economically significant
inshore
fishery in the state [valued at
$3.2 million in FY2002 (DAR 2002)].
The following points
must be considered when evaluating the efficacy of S.B. 3225, as
it is
currently
structured:
1.) Restricting the
commercial collection of marine ornamental fishes to such numbers
would
effectively bring the
fishery to a standstill, undermining over a decade of
labor-intensive, sustainable
resource legislation
and related progress [i.e. the
passing of House Bill 3457 (Act 306), subsequent
enforcement provisions, and the
establishment of the West Hawai'i Regional Fisheries
Management Area
with its network of Fish Replenishment
Areas (FRAs)].
2.) By distinguishing
aquarium fishing as the sole cause of adverse fluctuations in
coral reef
fish populations, S.B.
3225 discounts the inherent complexity of coral reef environments
that must be
understood in
order effectively manage associated resources. Areas of
ecological uncertainty associated
with coral reef environments
include overall productivity, life cycles of targeted species,
spawning
seasonality, larval dispersal,
patterns of recruitment, species interactions, species abundance,
and historic
conditions. These environmental
and ecological influences are capable of generating effects
similar to those
produced by fishing. Furthermore,
nearshore human activities other than aquarium collection--such
as
destructive gear and by-catch from
other nearshore fisheries, alien species, coastal development,
tourism,
and pollution--can ultimately
impact the abundance of species more adversely than the temporary
effects
of aquarium fishing. For those
making decisions on resource allocation or investments that
influence
marine aquarium fisheries, it is
critical to consider all nearshore human activities capable of
causing
adverse fluctuations in the
abundance of species captured for the aquarium trade.
3.) S.B. 3225 restrictions
on the collection of specific ornamental species lack
scientific
substantiation and
undercut DAR initiatives to manage coastal resources based on the
best scientific
information
available. For specific ornamental fishes mentioned in S.B.
3225, section (a), such as yellow
tang
(Zebrasoma flavescens), flame angelfish
(Centropyge loriculus), and 'butterfly' (which we
assume
refers to Butterflyfishes, or the family
Chaetodontidae) existing and newly-gathered data must be more
rigorously analyzed by DAR in order to
discern whether bag limitations on those particular species
should
be recommended.
4.) No criteria are
provided for fishes identified as 'no-take' species, and
current efforts by the
West Hawai'i Fishery
Council Species of Special Concern Subcommittee to identify these
criteria are
not
acknowledged. The West Hawai'i Fisheries Council Species
of Special Concern Subcommittee
(SSCS), chartered in late 2006, is
presently engaged in outlining concerns for West Hawai'i reef
species
impacted by aquarium fishing and
other marine activities, and is now considering whether to
recommend
restrictions on the extractive use
of certain 'species of special concern' in West
Hawai'i. Species may be
identified based upon criteria
such as rarity, specialized habitat, poor aquarium survivorship,
declining
trends in abundance, ecosystem
importance and ecological services, and value to tourism and
recreation.
S.B. 3225 prevents further
progress by the SSCS to solicit the involvement of resource users
and other
2
industry participants to develop
official criteria and subsequent management recommendations based
on
those criteria. No specific
reasons are offered for 'no-take' species identified in
the bill, such as
pufferfishes
(Tetraodontidae, Canthigasterinae),
Boxfishes (Ostraciidae), eels (Muraenidae), and coral
eating
species (such as Butterflyfishes and
Parrotfishes). For explicit species mentioned, such as
Potter's
angelfish (Centropyge potteri) and the
Hawaiian cleaner wrasse (Labroides phthirophagus), further
research may be warranted before policies
prohibit their capture. Case in point, new information being
prepared in a University of Hawai'i at
Hilo thesis study for Potter's angelfish, a 2007 rebound in
mean
abundance of this species in West
Hawai'i to numbers greater than those seen in 1999, and seven
years of
data showing a greater abundance of C.
potteri in areas open to aquarium fishing on the Big Island
illustrate the need for further
investigation.
5.) This bill presumes that bag
limits are the most effective means of managing ornamental
reef
fishes, and does not take into
consideration other fishery management tools--such as limited
entry or an
extension of the current system of
fish replenishment areas--which may be more effective in
addressing
overall fishery
concerns. Almost a decade of scientific
evidence collected by the DLNR now suggests that
the network of FRAs mandated by Act 306 has been effective in
promoting the recovery of heavily exploited
fish stocks in Hawai'i. In 2004, DAR
reported that, from baseline assessments, the established
FRAs had proven effective in yielding
increased abundance for several targeted fishes. Some species
have
even experienced increases outside the
FRAs, indicating possible 'spill-over' effects. The
creation of a
limited-entry fishery is currently under
investigation by the West Hawai'i Fisheries Council.
Overall
management of aquarium species throughout
the Main Hawaiian Islands should be based on what has been
previously proven effective. West
Hawai'i's existing system of FRAs, in conjunction with a
limited-entry
system and species-specific regulations
(when necessary) may well surpass bag limits as an effective
systematic solution.
6.) S.B. 3225 does not anticipate
the probable limitations in enforcement capacity by DOCARE.
Bag limits on reef fishes
collected commercially for the marine aquarium industry would
only be effective
if they could be very strictly
enforced. The Hawai'i Division of Conservation and Resources
Enforcement
(DOCARE)--whose agents are
currently taxed with enforcing various other state laws and rules
involving
historic sites, forest reserves,
aquatic life and wildlife areas, coastal zones, conservation
districts, and
county parks--would be required to
take on this additional responsibility for which they may lack
the
necessary manpower and resources
to implement.
We must consider that, if we
continue to ensure the sustainable use of our coastal
resources
through appropriate management
action, the marine aquarium fishery in the Hawaiian Islands will
serve as
a model to the greater Pacific
region where collection of ornamental species is practiced. Since
Hawaiian
aquarium fishes are captured using
small-mesh fence and hand nets rather than harmful explosives
or
chemicals, a high survival rate is
generally ensured for the collected animals when compared with
tropical
fisheries that employ destructive
methods such as cyanide fishing. If years of progress were
dismissed and
a complete shut down of the
fishery were to occur, a great shift in demand would follow,
supporting Indo-
Pacific nations whose policies
continue to allow the employment of unsustainable fishing
practices. This
would only accelerate the
destruction of coral reefs worldwide.
I would urge all resource users,
industry participants, scientists, conservationists, and
concerned
citizens to voice their opposition
to this bill, as it would be an irresponsible and ineffective
policy.
Mahalo,
Brandon C. Chapin
Tropical Conservation Biology and
Environmental Science Graduate Student
University of Hawai'i at
Hilo
3
TO VOICE YOUR OPPOSITION TO THIS
BILL, PLEASE CONTACT SENATOR CLAYTON
HEE AT THE ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER,
OR E-MAIL ADDRESS PROVIDED BELOW:
Clayton Hee
23rd Senatorial District
Hawaii State Capitol, Room 228
415 South Beretania Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone 808-586-7330; Fax
808-586-7334
e-mail senhee@Capitol.hawaii.gov
|
Your name being used by anti-aquarium activists (again) --
02/02/10
Hi Bob,
<Hey XXXX>
I remember writing you about a year ago on this subject, and you may
have heard about it on and off since then.
<Oh yes... even from Snorkel Bob himself/directly>
In a nutshell, we have a small group of activists who are trying to
kill the aquarium industry over here. They one of their main talking
points is a quote from you (taken out of context) in which you state
that 99% of fish die within a year.
<Yes... and I've looked, can't find how to directly add a
response to this online version of West Hawaii Today... If you would,
please send along our email here for their posting>
More recently, they have been even more specific, reporting that you
claim that 99% of Hawaiian aquarium fish (or sometimes 99% of yellow
tangs) do not survive a year.
<Yes... but... this is a fisheries statistic... not an industry
incidental mortality one. In other words, it is a fact that counting
all potential spawn, the vast majority of marine fish life is dead...
swept out to unsuitable circumstances by tides, currents, consumed by
predators, starved for lack of nutrient... w/in a year. This is simple
fisheries biology statistics. I don't know of any
"industry" counts for Zebrasoma flavescens, but I would be
very surprised if there were more than 10-20% mortality from collection
to receiving at wholesalers in the U.S. mainland, and much more than
that range of further losses going to/through distributors to
end-users/consumers. Who knows how many specimens in hobbyists care
live a year or more? Likely this is not a large number; but I would be
very surprised if the percentage surviving in the wild were greater.
Further, I take exception with BobW's assertion that this species
lives for forty years in the wild. There may be some individuals that
reach a decade or so, but these are exceedingly rare I'd warrant.
Unfortunately, I do not find any number/age data for this species to
readily cite>
One of them recently submitted a letter to the West Hawaii newspaper
saying exactly that. I attached a PDF to this e-mail or you can read it
here if it's still up:
http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/articles/2010/02/01/opinion/letters_-_your_voice/letters03.txt
Is it possible for you to write a rebuttal to this? Unfortunately
making false claims is the norm for these guys, and this time
they're directly falsifying a statement from you.
Also, I would very much appreciate it if you did not include my name on
your website, since I'd rather avoid retaliation.
<A great shame that one must operate thus>
Thanks,
XXXX
<I do appreciate your bringing this to my notice; and want to
further state my lack of awareness re the incident alluded to here at
Honokohau Bay... but that I know of a few of the collectors on Kona and
O'ahu and have found them to be excellent divers, and careful
stewards of the resource in Hawaii. The planet will not be better for
curtailing the trade in ornamentals there. A hu'i hou! Bob
Fenner>
Re: Your name being used by anti-aquarium activists
(again) -- 02/02/10
> Hi Bob,
> Thanks for the reply! The link for submitting letters to the
editor is here:
> http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/contact_us/letters/
<Thank you for this. This is what I've sent:
In regards to Robert Wintner's Opinion > Letters - Your
Voice
"Apologist collectors"
Monday, February 1, 2010 8:37 AM HST
Which in turn was a response to: Tropical Fish dump prompts outrage,
Friday, January 29, 2010 8:54 AM HST
I want to further expand on "Snorkel Bob's" taking my
statements out of context.
It is so that the vast majority of fishes have high biological
mortalities in the first weeks, months, year of their lives on reefs.
Likely upwards of the stated 99% don't live through the first
twelve months. The figure for incidental mortality of those collected
for aquarium/trop. use is not nearly so high. Likely some 10-20 percent
of collected stock is lost from collection to receipt by wholesalers,
with no more than another similar percentage range dying from
distribution to the home hobbyists. Of these, likely less than a
quarter live for a year in captivity, but this number is much higher
than that of "natural" longevity.
Further, I take exception to the statement that Zebrasoma
flavescens (the Yellow Tang) lives forty years in the wild. Some
exceedingly small number may live a decade.
Lastly, as a long-time Kona property owner and dive
and aquarium industry writer, it is my experience that the resource and
trade is well-managed on Kona.
There are issues of fisheries, natural stocks
limitations in the islands, but only a small and regulated percentage
is due to the trop. industry. Both sport diving and aquarium interests
have the same/identical goal, protecting and carefully using our
natural resources. I urge all to cooperate.
Bob Fenner>
> The article about the fish kill is here... Apparently somebody put
some dead yellow tangs in a dumpster:
> http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/articles/2010/01/29/local/local01.txt
> Another thing I was going to mention was this:
> http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/526193.html
<... I find it disingenuous to "treat" food and game fish
stocks differently than tropicals... and the continual undervaluation
of the catch at local level disturbs me>
> Apparently, having had no success with the state legislature,
they've turned to the county level.
<Am always hopeful that reason prevails... Unfortunately for the
trade, we humans are visually oriented... and the biomass that folks
(don't think about but) see captured for aquariums gives them a
false presentation of what is "going on" underwater... Better
by far for folks to pursue, try to discover real sources of
mortality... Sewage and other chemical, biological "run off"
likely, along with indigenous fishers (a much larger source of tropical
collecting by mass)... Bob Fenner>
Re: Maui aquarium bill making fish pets and subject to
humane society enforcement 5/28/2010
Aloha Bob ,
It looks like our Maui County Council is going forward with the
Aquarium Bill . < Linked here>
Below:
<A shame... let's see, humans aren't animals... Wrong. And
it's less humane to de-gas fishes with bladders taken at depth than
not? And not clipping the bony/hard rays of some (e.g. Naso) is going
to be a bummer for other fishes in the collection, decompression
bucket... More nonsense law/s from people who don't know what
they're talking/writing about. Is it much wonder our country is in
such a hole?>
I was wondering if I could use your emails as a rebuttal against the
person who is misquoting your studies and articles??
<Will post in its entirety... Do you have address/es to send input
to?>
Again her is a copy of the Bills it appears they want to add another
permit on top of this bill.
The meeting will be in Wailuku, Maui June 2, 2010 at 9:00AM in the
County Council Chamber.
Any help help be deeply
appreciated,
Mike Blietz
<Thank you for keeping me/us abreast of what's going on in HI
Mike. Have you sent this to Marshall Meyers, PIJAC? Bob Fenner, who
has>
ORDINANCE NO.
BILL NO. (2009)
A BILL FOR AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 6.04,
MAUI COUNTY CODE, PERTAINING TO ANIMAL CONTROL
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE COUNTY OF MAUI:
SECTION 1. Section 6.04.010, Maui County Code, is
amended by amending the definition of "animal" to read as
follows:
""Animal" means any fowl, reptile,
aquatic life, or mammal other than a human being."
SECTION 2. Section 6.04.010, Maui County Code, is
amended by adding new definitions to be appropriately inserted and to
read as follows:
""Aquarium purposes" means to hold salt
water fish,
freshwater nongame fish, or other aquatic life alive in
a state of captivity as pets, or for public exhibition or display, or
for sale for these purposes.
"Aquatic life" means any species or type of
mammal, fish, amphibian, reptile, mollusk, crustacean, arthropod,
invertebrate, coral, or other animal that inhabits the freshwater or
marine environment and includes any part, product, egg, or offspring
thereof."
SECTION 3. Section 6.04.040, Maui County Code, is
amended to read as follows:
"6.04.040 Animal
regulations--general. A. An owner of a dog
shall keep the dog under restraint, except the following:
1. A dog being used by law enforcement agencies for law
enforcement purposes;
2. A dog used during hunting; accompanied by its owner,
and used with the consent of the owner of the real property upon which
the hunting occurs;
3. A dog used during organized competitions, or during
training for such competitions, accompanied by its owner, and used with
the consent of the owner of the real property upon which the dog is
used; and
4. A dog being monitored by its owner or handler within
the confines of an authorized dog park.
B. An owner of an animal shall treat the animal in a
humane manner.
C. An owner of a dog shall not allow the dog to cause a
nuisance. The owner shall be held responsible for every behavior of
such dog under the provisions of this chapter.
D. No person shall abandon an animal.
E. An owner of a dog shall not intentionally, knowingly,
recklessly, or negligently permit the dog to:
1. Attack a person or domestic animal; or 2. Behave in a
manner that a reasonable person would believe poses an imminent threat
of bodily injury to a person or serious injury or death to a domestic
animal. The terms "negligently", "intentionally",
"knowingly", and "recklessly" shall have the same
meaning as are ascribed to the terms in section 702-206, Hawaii
Revised Statutes.
F. No person shall own, harbor, train, or use any dog
for the purpose of dog fighting.
G. Any person that collects aquatic life for aquarium
purposes shall:
1. Obtain any necessary permits from the division of
aquatic resources, department of land and natural resources.
2. Treat aquatic life in a humane manner. For the
purposes of this section, inhumane treatment of aquatic life includes
intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or negligently:
a. Withholding food for more than twelve hours;
b. Causing injury, including: piercing or deflating a
fish's swim bladder; fin or spine trimming; exposing to air;
exposing to temperature fluctuations of more than a two degree
difference from the water they were collected in; carrying, or causing
to be carried, in or upon any vehicle or other conveyance, in a manner
resulting in injury to the aquatic life; and c. Causing the death of
aquatic life.
3. Document the mortality rates and disposal methods of
all aquatic life collected."
SECTION 4. Section 6.04.110, Maui County Code, is
amended to read as follows:
2
"6.04.110 Penalties.
A. Any person convicted of a violation of any section
or provision of this chapter, except the provisions relating to
excessive barking dogs and dangerous dogs, shall be fined not more than
$500.
The minimum fine shall be as follows: for a first
violation, a fine of not less than $50; for a second violation within
five years after a prior violation under this section, a fine of not
less than $100; and, for a third violation within five years after two
prior violations under this section, a fine of not less than $200.
B. Any person convicted of a violation of any section or
provision of this chapter relating to excessive barking dogs shall be
fined not more than $500. The minimum fine shall be as follows: for a
first violation, a fine of not less than $100; for a second violation
within five years after a prior violation under this section, a fine of
not less than $200; and, for a third violation within five years after
two prior violations under this section, a fine of not less than
$500.
C. Any person convicted of a violation of any section or
provision of this chapter relating to dangerous dogs shall be fined not
more than $1,000 and imprisoned not more than thirty days. The minimum
sentence shall be as follows: for a first violation, a fine of not less
than $200; for a second violation within five years after a prior
violation under this section, a fine of not less than $500; and, for a
third violation within five years after two prior violations under this
section, a fine of not less than $1,000. In addition, a court may
require restitution for damages caused by a dangerous dog; provided,
that this section shall not preclude a person damaged by a dangerous
dog from pursuing a civil remedy.
D. The portion of the fine equal to the minimum fine
shall not be suspended.
E. A successive violation of the same owner involving
different dogs shall be considered a subsequent and not a first
violation.
F. For purposes of this [Section] section 6.04.110, a
violation is defined to include the payment of a fine directly to the
district court or the finding of guilt by a court after a contested
hearing.
G. Any person convicted of a violation of section
6.04.040.G shall be guilty of a misdemeanor subject to a fine of not
less than $500 and not more than $2,000, or imprisonment for not more
than one year, or both."
3
SECTION 5. New material is underscored. In printing
this
bill, the County Clerk need not include the
underscoring.
SECTION 6. This ordinance shall take effect upon its
approval.
APPROVED AS TO FORM
AND LEGALITY:
OKA
Deputy Corporation Counsel
County of Maui
S:\ALL\JTU\ORDS\6.04.wpd
4
PUBLIC SERVICES COMMITTEE
Council of the County of Maui
Meeting Agenda
June 2, 2010 t,..)
9:00 a.m. ....4
Council Chamber, 8th Floor
200 South High Street, Wailuku,
Hawaii ......
..
Na
website: www.mauicountv.gov/committees/PS
VOTING MEMBERS
AGENDA ITEMS ARE SUBJECT TO CANCELLATION. For a
confirmation of the meeting date
Wayne K. Nishiki, Chair
and time, and for tentative scheduling of agenda
items, please contact the Committee Staff
(Scott Jensen, Scott Kaneshina, or Clarita Balala) at:
Office of Council Services, 200 South
Joseph Pontanilla, Vice
-Chair
High Street, Wailuku, HI 96793, 808-270-7838,
1-800-272-0026 (toll freefrom Molokai),
1-800-272-0098 (toll-free from Lanai), 808-270-7686
(fax).
Jo Anne Johnson
Sol P. Kaho`ohalahala
ORAL OR WRITTEN TESTIMONY on any agenda item will be
accepted. If written testimony is
submitted at the meeting, 16 copies are requested. If
written testimony is e-mailed or faxed,
please submit at least 24 hours before the meeting so
that copies can be provided to Council
members in a timely manner.
Danny A. Mateo
INDIVIDUALS WHO INTEND TO ATTEND THE MEETING AND WHO
HAVE DISABILITIES
Bill Kauakea Medeiros
REQUIRING SPECIAL ASSISTANCE should call the Office
of Council Services at least three
days in advance.
Michael P. Victorino
DOCUMENTS ON FILE WITH THE COMMITTEE, which may
include correspondence relating
to the agenda items below, may be inspected prior to the
meeting date. Photocopies may be
ordered, subject to charges imposed by law (Maui County
Code, Sec. 2.64.010). Please
NON-VOTING MEMBERS contact the Office of Council Services to make arrangements for
inspection or photocopying of
documents.
Gladys C. Baisa
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT COUNCIL
-RELATED ISSUES, tune in to
Akaku: Maui Community
Michael J. Molina Television.
PS-25 AQUATIC LIFE ANIMAL CONTROL
DESCRIPTION: The Committee is in receipt of the following:
1. County Communication No. 09-337, from Council
Vice-Chair Michael J. Molina, transmitting a
proposed bill entitled "A BILL FOR AN ORDINANCE
AMENDING CHAPTER 6.04, MAUI
COUNTY CODE, PERTAINING TO ANIMAL CONTROL". The
purpose of the proposed bill is
to regulate the collection of aquatic life.
2. Correspondence dated May 27, 2010, from Councilmember
Wayne K. Nishiki, transmitting a draft
bill entitled "A BILL FOR AN ORDINANCE AMENDING
TITLE 5, MAUI COUNTY CODE,
PERTAINING TO AQUATIC LIFE OPERATIONS". The purpose
of the draft bill is to establish
a licensing regime for aquatic life operations.
MORE 4
Page 2 PS
STATUS: The
Committee may consider whether to recommend passage of the proposed
bill and the draft bill on
first reading, with or without revisions. The Committee
may also consider the filing of County
Communication No. 09-337 and other related action.
ps: 1 00602: scj/skk
Hawaiian Aquarium Fish Collecting Ban
10/24/17
Aloha Bob, I’m a free-diver and have gotten better at catching fish
underwater over the years here on the Big Island.
<Definitely a learned skill! And am a BIG fan of the big island>
Its definitely challenging! I use two hand nets and have refrained from
using a barrier net over the years. But with interest in collecting
harder to capture specimens I been thinking about getting or making one.
<I have articles on such on WWM>
Just when I decided to give it a go they ban aquarium fish collecting.
<Actually; the governor vetoed that bill, thank goodness>
Now I know it’s for retail sale but I can’t get a clear sense if you can
still get a license for collecting for personal use.
<I think a fishing license will do it here>
I know the restrictions state that use of a net over 3 feet requires a
collectors license. Do you happen to know the status of collecting for
personal use out here?
<As stated>
If not, I’ll be contacting DLNR.
<Good idea>
I wanted to get a larger Raccoon BFF for my tide pool / fuge to eat all
those Aiptasia! I could keep my extra catches in the Fuge but eventually
I’d have to add more water volume, I know. If were to plumb into my
existing system a larger display for BFF and Angels would you suggest to
keep it a FOWLR system?
<Mmm; I'd keep them in your main/display>
I want to avoid using copper so would be going for prevention with tying
it into the existing system for bigger volume / stability. It’s just an
idea for now but we all must dream, right!
<Prophylactic pH adjusted freshwater dips should prevent the worst of
parasitic introductions. Again, archived on WWM>
This hobby keeps me sane in-between work mode. ;-) With all the cray
cray stuff going on in the world we all know we can use a little more
peace. Looking forward to ordering and readying your book on BFF! ;-)
In Gratitude,
Sky Kubby
<Be chatting Sky! Hope to be back visiting in Kailua soon. BobF>
Re: Maui aquarium bill making fish pets and subject to
humane society enforcement 5/30/2010
Aloha,
I like your comments wish you could be here on Wednesday??
Thanks again for all of your support we are the going
to be bullied on Wednesday I fear
Mike Blietz
<Hey Mike... I do wish I could be there as well. Fight the good
fight my friend, a hu'i hou! BobF, just back from Victoria, B.C.
and bleary>
Re: "The Dark Hobby"
9/9/10
Here you go Bob. This looks fine now.
Cheers, Neale
<Thank you Neale. I do want to make known to you that JamesL asked
me to respond more substantively (a for-pay editorial to run in the
pulp 'zine Coral), and that the blurb posted on his/their blog is
something that on his request I dashed off in less than five minutes...
And that I am, per his request, penning a piece for inclusion focusing
on Zebrasoma flavescens... for pay in Coral. I will send you this draft
later (today hopefully) if you'd care to see it. BobF>
Re: "The Dark Hobby"
> Hello Bob,
> Yep, I'd love to see your piece.
> I can well understand that your short piece on the Coral web site
skimmed over the details. But it is interesting how quickly your reply
has spread out on the aquarium forums; for good or ill, your opinions
on this issue seem to carry significant weight.
> Cheers, Neale
Re: "The Dark Hobby" 9/9/10
Hello Bob,
<Neale>
Yep, I'd love to see your piece.
<Ah, will send along presently. It's about half done... idea and
word-count wise>
I can well understand that your short piece on the Coral web site
skimmed over the details. But it is interesting how quickly your reply
has spread out on the aquarium forums; for good or ill, your opinions
on this issue seem to carry significant weight.
<Yes... and really, this is more unfortunate (for me) than not. I
don't feel/consider that I am "in the field"... Am
retired from active work in the trade/industry (since /94), and
haven't been engaged in real fisheries work for longer... Thus, it
seems presumptuous (of me) to front opinions period... But... someone
with such background (ornamental and fisheries) should have come
forward... Cheers, B>
Cheers, Neale
"The Dark Hobby"
9/9/10
> Please find a/the draft
attached. B
> Hi Bob,
> It reads fine, though it needs a tidy-up re: typos, spellings,
lack of spaces between certain words. Certainly has your unique style,
which I like, and I suspect many others do, too.
<Welllll... to me it's too much a "qualitative"
rendering than quantitative... I would give more numerical data, but
for the purpose... this is an editorial... more a rebuttal to
Wintner's claims indirectly. Oh, and JamesL will no doubt spiff up
the grammar et al.>
> But I'm a bit lost about how this article "replies"
to the Wintner piece. Whether you like it or not, there are a lot of
hobbyists who'd like to see you respond, as the person "in the
know" not just in terms of the business, but Hawaii specifically;
see here:
> http://reefbuilders.com/2010/09/01/dark-hobby/
> For example, the comment that says, "Where is Bob
Fenner's comments on this?
<They are linked at top and immediately after this
comment>
" I don't like pressuring you this way, but there really
aren't that many people who have your gravitas so far as this
particular debate goes.
> If I were writing this, I'd be using the yellow tang step by
step to expand and/or refute Wintner's points.
<Ahh, Neale... again, I really shouldn't have responded in the
first place. My friend, I hope I can make this clear... it is not my
desire to become embroiled in a controversy w/ someone who has no idea
of what he's talking about in factual terms, but instead wants to
"shout" noise re his stance, no matter what the data. Perhaps
this sort of "communicating" is best left to younger, more
vocal/bombastic types>
If the yellow tang is an indicator species, as Wintner seems to
be suggesting, what does it tell us about the trade?
<Unfortunately, in this case, that this species may well be
over-exploited>
Why is he overreacting?
<PR, revenue from same, notoriety...>
What can local lawmakers do?
<Put the trade out of business...>
And so on.
> Cheers, Neale
<And you, BobF>
"The Dark Hobby" Neale's Letter to JamesL of
Coral/Microcosm 9/9/10
> Dear James,
> I have read with interest Robert Wintner's piece on the
possible overfishing of reef fish by the aquarium industry as well as
Bob Fenner's response on your web site. Although both gentlemen
make valid points, both have oversimplified the situation in terms of
biology, and in doing so, some of the shades of grey between their
positions may be lost.
> Mr. Wintner appears to be starting from a view that fishing is
comparable to whaling. Certainly, overfishing can cause as many
problems as intensive whaling, and as Mr. Fenner suggests, any given
population of animals will support a maximum number of individuals that
humans can remove without undermining the long-term viability of that
population, what fisheries scientists call a maximum sustainable yield
or MSY. However, there are important differences between whale
populations and fish populations. Whales are what ecologists term
K-selected organisms: they are big, mature slowly, produce small
numbers of offspring, and those offspring individually have a high
probability of reaching sexual maturity. Over time K-selected organisms
tend to maintain populations that vary very little, and stick closely
to about the maximum number their environment can stand; hence the
letter K stands for "carrying capacity".
> Most fish are different, as are virtually all non-Cnidarian
invertebrates. They instead form a group known as r-selected organisms:
they are small, grow rapidly, produce huge numbers of offspring, and
those offspring individually have a low probability of reaching sexual
maturity. Unlike K-selected organisms that exhibit steady populations,
populations of r-selected organisms fluctuate up and down all the time,
booming in some years, and crashing in others. So the letter r stands
for "rate of reproduction" since these organisms rely on
being able to rapidly exploit resources when they're available, and
then being able to bounce back quickly should resources fail and their
population crash.
> Mr. Wintner and the Sea Shepherd foundation have been doing their
best to limit commercial whaling. That's a laudable aim precisely
because whales are K-selected organisms. It may take a whale decades to
reach sexual maturity, mothers produce just a single calf at a time,
and that calf may remain with the mother for several years, effectively
taking its mother out of the population for the duration so far as
reproduction goes. In other words, over a 60-year lifespan, a female
whale might only produce half a dozen offspring. Obviously, killing
even a small number of adults will have a huge impact on whale
populations because the ability of survivors to make good any losses is
extremely limited. An extreme example is the Atlantic Right Whale,
which hasn't been hunted commercially for more than 100 years, and
yet there's little sign that the population is growing at all,
simply because the surviving adults produce no more offspring than
natural mortality and accidents with large ships remove from the
population.
> A fish like a yellow tang is completely different. Individual fish
will reach sexual maturity within a year, and females will produce
thousands if not tens of thousands of eggs every time they mate. The
eggs and sperm mix in the seawater, and the fertilised eggs drift off
in the plankton where they can potentially develop into juvenile fish
within a relatively short space of time. However, mortality during this
phase is immense. In fact hardly any juveniles survive this process.
Some aspects of mortality will be familiar to aquarists, for example
predation by predators feeding on the plankton: arrow worms, pteropods,
filter-feeding fish, and so on. But others are less familiar, in
particular the importance of synchronicity between when fish breed and
the cycles of other planktonic organisms. I don't know much about
tangs, but certainly for fish like the Atlantic herring there's a
narrow window of opportunity bounced by starvation on the one side and
predators and toxins on the other. If the herrings breed too early in
the year, there isn't enough algae for the developing fry to eat;
if they breed too late, Dinoflagellate populations are so high their
toxins can kill the fry. In some years the herrings mis-time their
breeding and virtually no offspring survive. Other years they get it
right and so many offspring survive they make up the failures of
previous years. While the details surely vary between fish species,
this basic pattern is probably significant in most cases.
> Another factor aquarists are less familiar with comes after the
planktonic stage, the stage that biologists refer to as recruitment in
the sense that these organisms are being recruited by a given habitat
or location. Older fry or for that matter metamorphosed invertebrates
like hermit crabs don't just magically settle down on the reef and
then go on to live happy lives! Finding the right place to live, and
then finding the resources they need to successfully settle down, are
both very difficult challenges. Many, perhaps most late-stage
planktonic juveniles don't arrive where they need to be. Ocean
currents carry them to hostile environments, for example the open
ocean, or places that are too hot or too cold for them. In the big
picture that's fine; these animals cannot cover long distances as
adults, and the species rely on planktonic currents to carry their
juveniles into new habitats. It wasn't adult yellow tangs that swam
across the Pacific Ocean from Indonesia to Hawaii! It was their
offspring that drifted there, and as the volcanoes produced new
islands, so the planktonic offspring of corals, crustaceans, molluscs
and fish arrived on those islands, settled down, and created the coral
reefs we know so well. But even larger numbers probably ended up in
places where they were doomed. Some simply ran out of time, halfway
across the Pacific they metamorphosed into something that needed solid
ground, and consequently they starved or otherwise died. The fact you
find sessile organisms like barnacles and mussels on floating debris is
a reminder of how many of these organisms there are thousands of miles
from the nearest coastline.
> Even if they arrive on a coral reef, there's no guarantees
they'll find ecological space. Remember, the stiffest threat any
species faces is competition from its own kind. Empty but intact shells
are rare, and hermit crabs have to fight one another to secure them.
Territorial reef fish that need caves (such as groupers) or cultivate
patches of algae (such as damselfish) have no guarantees at all that
they will find such resources or be able to hold onto them. Since
bigger individuals are stronger than smaller ones, newcomers to the
reef, i.e., the juveniles, are the ones most likely to lose out. In
other words, there are many hermit crabs and reef fish that settle out
from the plankton onto the reef after metamorphosis, but die for one
reason or another because they can't find or secure the resources
they need.
> A parallel might be drawn with mariculture of mussels. There's
plenty of food for them, but intertidal hard grounds where they can
live are limited. Mussel farmers use a variety of techniques to attract
juvenile mussels (known as spat) from the plankton onto their farms.
Once there, they can maintain commercially significant populations of
mussels that may be harvested annually, without any harm to the wild
mussels. Why? Because the spat the farmers are collecting would have
died if they hadn't been captured and farmed! Mussels produce far
more offspring than their habitat can normally sustain, so all the
farmers are doing is removing natural "wastage". It would not
be difficult to extrapolate this to, for example, the farming of
clean-up crew hermit crabs by using shells, perhaps even artificial
ones, that would house hermit crabs that in the wild would not have
survived to sexual maturity.
> The upside to r-selected organisms is that they undo human
carelessness quite quickly. It may well be that poorly managed
collecting has reduced tubeworm or hermit crab populations on certain
reefs. But provided those habitats remain in good shape, and if
exploitation is suspended for a period of time, there's no reason
at all not to expect them to be back within a few years. Parallels can
be drawn from commercial fisheries for species like herring and
lobster, where multi-year bans have allowed populations to bounce back.
Once recovered, sensible management of a new fishery can ensure its
long-term viability.
> So far, much of what I've said concurs with Mr. Fenner's
point of view. Just as he points out, if in fact 99% of the marine fish
captured do indeed die within a year, that's not very different to
the proportion that die anyway. However, there is complexity to this,
and going by the maximum sustainable yield alone doesn't paint the
full picture. Indeed, what I've stated above only looks at things
from the perspective of a single species. Where Mr. Wintner may have a
point is once entire ecosystems are examined.
> Simply because you can remove a certain number of yellow tangs
without harming the long-term security of that species tells you
nothing about what removal of yellow tangs does to the coral reef.
Depressed populations of yellow tangs may remain viable, but the algae
the removed tangs used to eat is now no longer being eaten by them. It
may be consumed by other species that, for one reason or another,
couldn't compete with the yellow tangs. Many aquarists will be
familiar with the tensions between those species that farm algae, like
damselfish, and those that bulldoze into those algae farms and eat
everything they can find, like schooling surgeonfish. Energy always
flows through ecosystems, and if doesn't go through a yellow tang,
it'll go through something else. Fewer yellow tangs could mean more
damselfish, more sea urchins, more snails. Who knows? It's very,
very difficult to predict. But there are well-studied examples of what
happens in situations like this. One example from the Mediterranean
involves mackerel and squid; heavy mackerel fishing didn't
exterminate them, but it did allow the squid populations to increase
dramatically. There's some suggestion that overfishing sharks
(classic K-selected animals) in the Pacific has allowed Humboldt squid
(r-selected animals) to become far more numerous.
> The bottom line is that the maximum sustainable yield metric is a
very crude one, and without a better understanding of coral reef
ecosystems, determining the optimal size for a given fishery will be
very difficult.
> Mr. Fenner's argument than wild fish populations may
experience 99% turnover rates is also somewhat misleading. So far as
planktonic and recruitment-stage individuals go, that's probably
not far off the mark. Suppose a yellow tang female produces 10,000
eggs, even if 99% of those offspring fail in the first year, there will
still be 100 of her descendants left, a pretty good rate of return. In
all probability, she'd be very lucky if even that proportion
survived. However, mortality after recruitment tends to drop
dramatically, and continues to decline with age, at least up to the
point where a fish or invertebrate gets so old it stops working
properly. Yearling tangs probably have mortality rates far below 99%,
and these are the ones that are breeding. So where Mr. Wintner does
have a point is that because ornamental fish fisheries are targeting
subadult and adult specimens rather than planktonic fish or recruits,
the effects of a 99% mortality are in fact very serious. As aquarists
buy new fish to replace those that died during the preceding year, more
subadults and adults have to be removed from the reef. Put another way,
while r-selected species can tolerate quite heavy mortality rates, in
the wild this will be strongest on the juveniles, and less so on the
adults. Aquarium collectors are operating the other way, taking the
subadult and adult fish, which are the ones r-selected species are most
dependent on for long-term survival. For a species like the yellow tang
to do well, there needs to be a certain number of adults spawning each
year.
> There is an insidious aspect to this overlooked by aquarists. By
targeting big or colourful specimens, the gene pool changes. Here we
might examine the Atlantic cod, which in times past typically reached
adult lengths of around 6 feet. Modern specimens are barely half that
size. Over the last century, there's been a clear trend towards cod
that reach sexual maturity at smaller sizes. Those are the ones that
fisheries don't target so much, and those are the ones that get to
breed at least a few times before they die or are caught by fishermen.
By contrast, those cod that needed to reach a large size before the
became sexually mature never had a chance to breed, so their
"big" genes weren't passed on. Gradual changes to the
size of a fish species like this will have follow-on effects in terms
of its relationships with both prey and predator; smaller fish can
consume smaller prey profitably, but smaller fish will also be easier
targets for predators that couldn't handle larger fish of the same
species. In terms of colouration, we simply don't understand why
coral reef fish are so colourful, but where we see species that occur
in a range of colours, targeting one particular morph may make that
species less able to adapt to the range of habitats it exploits, or
perhaps alter the social or behavioural interactions between
individuals, symbiotes, or whatever.
> Of course Mr. Fenner is quite right to point out that ornamental
fish collection is a fairly trivial threat to coral reefs, though at a
local level there may very well be a real threat to particular species.
Human activities of various sorts do far more harm, from coastal
development through to climate change. The recent oil spill in the Gulf
of Mexico highlighted this perfectly. Damage from oil spills is
relatively short-term and while obviously not beneficial, within a few
decades even the worst oil spills seem to fade away with no long-term
damage to the ecosystem affected. Yet the people most vociferously
complaining about the oil spill included fishermen and hoteliers. The
long-term damage caused by draining a mangrove or salt marsh to create
a marina or a beachfront hotel is immense and for all practical
purposes permanent. Habitat vital to coastal fish and the juvenile
stages of many offshore species is gone for good. Without the natural
shore defences provided by mangroves especially, coastal erosion and
the damage done by freak storms increases. Shrimp fisheries are
notoriously damaging, year after year catching immense quantities of
so-called bycatch that is returned to the sea either dead or dying; the
Gulf of Mexico fishery has been described by the Sustainable Fisheries
Partnership as "unsustainable" thanks in part to "high
levels of bycatch" and "impacts on threatened species".
According to the FAO, out of what a typical Gulf of Mexico trawl hauls
aboard, only 26% is shrimp; the rest is a variety of fish and
invertebrates of no commercial value to the shrimp fishermen, and so
it's thrown overboard, dead. The human species has an astonishing
ability to focus on the trivial while ignoring the urgent.
> Even if you allow Mr. Wintner's basic point to stand, that
ornamental fish collecting is broadly bad, it may well be the price you
have to pay for the security of the coral reefs. An analogy might be
drawn with foxhunting. Many ecologists have pointed out that while
chasing and then killing this little dog-like animal isn't very
nice, the upside is that farmers and other landowners set aside
woodland and hedgerow to "cultivate" foxes. Without that
incentive, such preserves may be ripped up to provide farmland or
property developments, with a net loss of not just foxes but all sorts
of other wildlife as well. Sure, people could fly out to Hawaii and
spend time with Mr. Wintner enjoying his excellent tours and availing
themselves of his fine SCUBA equipment. But the carbon footprint of me
flying across to Hawaii is a good deal greater than me buying a yellow
tang. If a tankful of marine fish is what it takes to monetise the
Hawaii reef, then that at least places a dollar value on the long-term
maintenance of that reef and careful regulation of its fisheries.
Without that incentive, there's a tendency to minimise the
importance of natural resources where more obviously commercial ones,
like beachfront property and tourism, can be promoted.
> My apologies, James, for making this such a long letter. But I
wanted to stress as clearly as I could that there are uncertainties
within the arguments put forward by both Mr. Wintner and Mr. Fenner,
both of whom I'm sure have the best of intentions as well as
demonstrable concern for coral reefs generally. To try to simplify
things down to "collecting bad" or "collecting
good" overlooks the need for a better understanding of how
populations work and the knock-on effects between species populations.
Without making an effort to quantify the value of a pristine or managed
coral reef, getting lawmakers to preserve them will be all but
impossible.
Thank you for this Neale. Might I post it on WWM? BobF