Marine Ornamental Species Aquaculture

Ricardo Calado, Ike Olivotto, Miquel Planas Oliver, G. Joan Holt, Ricardo Calado, Ike Olivotto, Miquel Planas Oliver, G. Joan Holt

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781119307068
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Tecnología e ingeniería
• Subtopic: Pesca y acuicultura

The global trade of aquatic organisms for home and public aquariums, along with associated equipment and accessories, has become a multi-billion dollar industry. Aquaculture of marine ornamental species, still in its infancy, is recognized as a viable alternative to wild collection as it can supplement or replace the supply of wild caught specimens and potentially help recover natural populations through restocking.

This book collects into a single work the most up-to-date information currently available on the aquaculture of marine ornamental species. It includes the contributions of more than 50 leading scientists and experts on different topics relevant for the aquaculture of the most emblematic groups of organisms traded for reef aquariums. From clownfish, to angelfish, tangs and seahorses, as well as corals, anemones, shrimps, giant clams and several other reef organisms, all issues related with the husbandry, breeding, and trade are addressed, with explanatory schemes and illustrations being used to help in understanding the most complex topics addressed.

Marine Ornamental Species Aquaculture is a key reference for scientists and academics in research institutes and universities, public and private aquaria, as well as for hobbyists. Entrepreneurs will also find this book an important resource, as the culture of marine ornamental species is analyzed from a business oriented perspective, highlighting the risks and opportunities of commercial scale aquaculture of marine ornamentals.

Part I
Overview of Marine Ornamental Species Aquaculture

The marine aquarium trade has a worldwide dimension and represents a multi‐million dollars segment of the pet industry. This economic activity has continued to expand in recent years, revealing a voracious appetite for a remarkable range of species (Rhyne et al., 2012a; Rhyne et al., 2012b) that are commonly termed marine ornamentals. While at first we may think of marine ornamental species as colorful reef dwelling organisms, color is not the only feature that makes a marine organism a target of this trade. As an example, drab colored organisms that provide a service for reef aquariums, such as algae grazers and species that can control the growth of “nuisance organisms”, are also in high demand and heavily collected (Rhyne et al., 2009) (Chapter 1).

In the twenty‐first century, the marine ornamental trade can be described in general terms as relying on the harvest of wild specimens from coral reefs (mostly in the Indo‐Pacific region) and their exporting worldwide, mainly to the USA, EU countries, and Japan (Thornhill, 2012). The poor survival of collected specimens through the first links of a highly diffuse chain of custody, along with the dependence on the collection of specimens from the wild to supply a growing demand, continue to drive researchers to find solutions that can contribute to a more sustainable marine ornamental species trade.

Aquaculture is commonly considered as a potential way of alleviating fishing pressure on the wild populations of marine ornamentals, as the captive production of some of the most heavily collected species would certainly contribute to relieving the current fishing pressure on coral reefs (Tlusty, 2002). The aquaculture of marine ornamentals also provides researchers an excellent opportunity to gain knowledge on their life history (e.g., larval development, reproductive behaviour, age at maturity, fecundity, etc.) in order to improve the management of natural stocks. Additionally, cultured marine ornamentals could provide novelty to an industry that is always willing to pay higher prices for rare or unique specimens. This novelty is commonly associated with the collection and trade of rare and/or endemic species, which invariably drives a surge of fishing pressure targeting those specimens, promoting negative impacts on their natural populations. When culturing marine ornamentals, this novelty can be supplied through the breeding of unique hybrid organisms and/or new color morphotypes without impacting coral reefs. These unique specimens can be reliably traced in the chain of custody (Cohen et al., 2013) and contribute to a more responsible industry (Chapter 2).

With remarkable advances being achieved in the last decades on the aquaculture of marine ornamental species (Olivotto et al., 2011; Moorhead and Zeng, 2010), some constraints continue as relevant today as they were in the early 1980s. The culture of pelagic spawners is still hampered by the lack of suitable live prey for early larval life and cues triggering maturation and metamorphosis are still poorly understood for some marine ornamental species (Chapter 3). While early culture trials were not always successful, recent breakthroughs on the husbandry and production of several species and an unprecedented number of highly motivated researchers, professional marine ornamental fish breeders and hobbyists working in this field opens a window of opportunity for advancing the state of the art of marine ornamental species aquaculture to a whole new level. The role that the leading importing countries of marine ornamental species (with emphasis on the US) can play to foster the aquaculture of these organisms is also addressed, along with potential economic and environmental risks (Chapter 4).

References

1. Cohen, F.P.A., Valenti, W.C. & Calado, R. (2013) Traceability issues in the trade of marine ornamental species. Reviews in Fisheries Science, 21, 98–111.
2. Moorhead, J.A. & Zeng, C.S. (2010) Development of captive breeding techniques for marine ornamental fish: A review. Reviews in Fisheries Science, 18, 315–343.
3. Olivotto, I., Planas, M., Simões, N., Holt, G.J. & Calado, R. (2011) Advances in breeding and rearing marine ornamentals. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society, 42, 135–166.
4. Rhyne, A.L., Rotjan, R., Bruckner, A. & Tlusty, M. (2009) Crawling to collapse: ecologically unsound ornamental invertebrate fisheries. PLoS ONE, 4, e8413.
5. Rhyne, A.L., Tlusty, M.F. & Kaufman, L. (2012a) Long‐term trends of coral imports into the United States indicate future opportunities for ecosystem and societal benefits. Conservation Letters, 5, 478–485.
6. Rhyne, A.L., Tlusty, M.F., Schofield, P.J., Kaufman, L., Morris, J.A., Jr. & Bruckner, A.W. (2012b) Revealing the appetite of the marine aquarium fish trade: The volume and biodiversity of fish imported into the United States. PLoS ONE, 7, e35808.
7. Thornhill, D.J. (2012) Ecological impacts and practices of the coral reef wildlife trade. Defenders of Wildlife, Washington, DC.
8. Tlusty, M. (2002) The benefits and risks of aquacultural production for the aquarium trade. Aquaculture, 205, 203–219.

1
The Marine Ornamental Species Trade

Matthew R. Palmtag

Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL, USA

Abstract

Marine aquarium keeping is one of the world’s most popular pastimes. Aquatic life is supplied through the marine ornamental species trade which consists of businesses that collect or culture livestock, transport, maintain, and trade until it reaches the consumer. Over 46,000,000 organisms representing 2500 species are traded annually with a value exceeding US$ 300,000,000. The Philippines and Indonesia supply the majority of livestock, with most specimens being consumed by the USA, Europe, and Japan. Unfortunately, irresponsible parties have caused coral reef destruction through negligent collection practices. Trade professionals and environmental advocates have employed a variety of measures to counteract the malpractice. Production of ornamentals through aquaculture is a leading solution that could reduce destruction by decreasing the need for wild livestock and providing an alternative profession for collectors. To achieve this economic–environmental balance, aquaculture capabilities require improvement through scientific research; additionally the technology must be accessible to countries that depend on collection.

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