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 UNEPWorld 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 MONITORINGCENTRE 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 Wolfgang Mueller, James O’Carroll, p41, to Yvonne Sadovy. environmental organization. UNEP- Jan Olsen, Gayatri Reksodihardjo- We are grateful to Marie-Annick WCMC aims to help decision makers Lilley, Martin Selch, Claude Moreau and Kristin Lunn for recognize the value of biodiversity to Schuhmacher, Craig Shuman, Derek information on Banggai cardinalfish people everywhere, and to apply this 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. Project Seahorse: pp 10 (A. Vincent), regional and global biodiversity 21 (A. Vincent), 35 (D. McCorry), 52 information, research on environ- Pages:Francesca Benzoni: p 28; Eran (A. Vincent); Peter Scott: pp 7 (upper mental threats and impacts, and Brokovich: p 16 (right); CSIRO: p 39 two and lower left), 8 (top), 12, 13, 14 development of future scenarios for 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 © UNEPWorld 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 Bansonproduction 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 MMost 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 a 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 BBetween 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 which 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 animals are the highest value-added product Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring that can be harvested from a coral reef. If managed Centre (UNEP-WCMC), the Marine Aquarium Council sustainably, the trade could support jobs in predominantly (MAC) and members of various aquarium trade asso- rural, low-income coastal communities and so provide ciations began, in collaboration, to address this need for strong economic incentives for coral reef conservation in better information and created the Global Marine regions where other options for generating revenue are Aquarium Database (GMAD). Trade data have been obtained limited. However, damaging techniques occasionally used from wholesale exporters and importers of marine to collect the animals, possible over-harvesting of some aquarium organisms, most often through copies of trade species and the high levels of mortality associated with invoices, integrated and standardized into quantitative, inadequate handling and transport of sensitive living species-specific information which has been placed in the public domain: www.unep-wcmc.org/marine/GMAD. Fifty- eight companies, approximately one-fifth of the whole- salers in business, and four government management authorities have provided data to GMAD. In August 2003 the dataset contained 102,928 trade records (7.7 million imported and 9.4 million exported animals) covering a total of 2,393 species of fish, corals and invertebrates and spanning the years 1988 to 2003. These data have permitted the most accurate quantitative estimates to date of the size of the global trade in marine ornamental fish and corals, and the first ever estimates for invertebrates other than corals, a previously overlooked section of the industry. FISH A total of 1,471 species of fish are traded worldwide with Bluestreak cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus. the best estimate of annual global trade ranging between 6 Executive summary Copperhead butterflyfish, Chelmon rostratus: from ocean to aquarium. 20 and 24 million individuals. Damselfish (Pomacentridae) bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus: GMAD make up almost half of the trade, with species of records 87,000 worldwide imports of this species from 1997 angelfish (Pomacanthidae), surgeonfish (Acanthuridae), to 2002) and the mandarin fish (Synchiropus splendidus: wrasses (Labridae), gobies (Gobiidae) and butterflyfish GMAD records 11,000 live individuals exported to the EU (Chaetodontidae) accounting for approximately another in the same period). Data further indicate that species 25-30 per cent. The most traded species are the blue-green characterized as ‘truly unsuitable’, mainly due to their damselfish (Chromis viridis), the clown anemonefish restricted dietary requirements, such as the foureye (Amphiprion ocellaris), the whitetail dascyllus (Dascyllus butterflyfish (Chaetodon capistratus), the harlequin filefish aruanus), the sapphire devil (Chrysiptera cyanea) and the (Oxymonacanthus longisrostris) and the Hawaiian cleaner threespot dascyllus (Dascyllus trimaculatus). The ten most wrasse (Labroides phtirophagus), are also commonly traded species account for about 36 per cent of all fish traded, albeit in lower numbers. traded for the years 1997 to 2002. Trade data, correlated with aquarium suitability information, indicate that two CORALS species known not to acclimatize well to aquarium con- A total of 140 species of stony coral, nearly all ditions are nonetheless very commonly traded. They are the scleractinians, are traded worldwide, with the best 7 From ocean to aquarium Overall, there is a pressing need for basic information on the population dynamics and life history characteristics of organisms targeted by the ornamental trade. Combined with accurate trade data, such information is essential for making more informed decisions regarding the sustainable collection of marine ornamentals. Other efforts needed to achieve sustainable management of the aquarium trade include the continued development and wider application of third-party certification, whereby the consumer is empowered to assist in reducing the environmental impacts of the trade by selectively purchasing specimens produced in an environmentally friendly manner. At the source country level, the implementation of measures such as quotas and size limits, and restricted access to the ornamental fishery through, for example, the use of permits and the establishment of areas closed to the fishery, are recommended where appropriate, though proper con- sultation is essential. Further research in developing mariculture protocols for raising commonly traded Coral collected for trade. species in source countries, to take pressure off wild stocks and to avoid removing livelihoods from local estimate of annual global trade ranging between 11 and communities, should also be promoted. To date, only 12 million pieces. Although difficulties associated with one-fifth of giant clams are cultured, while only 1-10 per accurate coral identification probably make species data cent of fish and fewer than 1 per cent of coral species are less reliable for corals than for fish, it is clear that species capable of being captive bred. Even fewer species are in seven genera (Trachyphyllia, Euphyllia, Goniopora, bred in commercial quantities. Acropora,Plerogyra,Catalaphyllia) are the most popular, accounting for approximately 56 per cent of the live coral trade between 1988 and 2002. Sixty-one species of soft coral are also traded, amounting to close to 390,000 pieces per year. Sarcophyton spp. (leather/mushroom/ toadstool coral) and Dendronephthya spp. (carnation coral) are two of the most commonly traded species. However, whilst the biology of the former makes it a hardy, fast-growing and easily propagated species under aquarium conditions, Dendronephthya spp. usually die within a few weeks, mainly due to the fact that they lack photosynthetic symbionts and rely on filtering particles and nutrients in the water column for food. INVERTEBRATES More than 500 species of invertebrates (other than corals) are traded as marine ornamentals, though the lack of a standard taxonomy makes it difficult to arrive at a precise figure. The best estimate of global annual trade ranges between 9 and 10 million animals, mostly molluscs, shrimps and anemones. Two groups of cleaner shrimp, Lysmata spp. and Stenopus spp., and a group of anemones, Heteractisspp., account for approximately 15 per cent of all invertebrates traded. Cleaner shrimp, Stenopusspp. 8 From ocean to aquarium Introduction Species including striped thread fin, Polydactylus plebeius. AAlthough reefs cover less than one quarter of 1 per attracted some controversy14-17, particularly regarding its cent of the marine environment, they are sustainability18. The high visibility of marine ornamental considered to be amongst the most biologically rich products has made the trade a magnet for criticism19. and productive ecosystems on Earth, often described as Articles in the press have tended to focus on the negative the ‘rainforest of the seas’1,2. Coral reefs support over impacts of the trade with headlines often making the 4,000 species of fish (or a third of the world’s marine fish species), about 800 species of reef-building corals3, and a great number of other invertebrates and sponges. Value of the aquarium industry Coral reefs provide millions of people with benefits, both direct and indirect, including fisheries, tourism and The aquarium industry as a whole is of relatively low coastal protection2. Most coral reefs are located in develop- volume yet very high value21,26, thus potentially ing countries, with millions depending directly on them as a providing an incentive to conserve reef habitats17,30and source of protein and, at least in part, for their livelihoods. offering a livelihood to coastal communities often living Reefs also support an important array of non-food com- in low-income areas. In 2000, 1 kg of aquarium fish from mercial fisheries including the marine ornamental fishery. the Maldives was valued at almost US$500, whereas It is generally acknowledged that the collection and 1 kg of reef fish harvested for food was worth only export of tropical marine fish for the aquarium trade started US$631. Similarly, the live coral trade is estimated to be in Sri Lanka in the 1930s, on a very small scale4,5. Trade worth about US$7,000 per tonne whereas the use of expanded during the 1950s, with an increasing number of harvested coral for the production of limestone yields places (e.g. Hawaii and the Philippines) issuing permits for only about US$60 per tonne32. In Palau, live rock is the collection of species destined for the marine aquarium exported for the aquarium trade at US$2.2 to US$4.4 tradei,6. Although demand has fluctuated and trends vary per kilo whereas it is sold locally as construction from year to year, the overall value of the marine fish trade, material for less than US$0.02 per kilo33. Sri Lanka accounting for about 10 per cent of the international orna- earns about US$5.6 million a year by exporting reef fish mental fish trade (marine and freshwater included), has to around 52 countries5 and estimates indicate that remained fairly stable in recent years. Figures for exports 50,000 people are directly involved in the export of of live pieces of coral, on the other hand, showed annual marine ornamentals34. In the Philippines, about 7,000 growth of 12-30 per cent from 19907until 1999, only stabi- collectors depend on the reefs for their livelihood35. lizing in the last three years. It is estimated that 1.5 to 2 million people worldwide keep marine aquaria8, with 600,000 households in the United States alone9. Estimates place the value of the mari- ne ornamental trade at US$200-330 million per year10,11 with 80 per cent of the trade in stony corals and 50 per cent of the trade in marine fish going to the United States12. Unlike freshwater aquaria species, where 90 per cent of fish species are currently farmed, the great ma- jority of marine aquaria are stocked from wild caught species13. With nearly all tropical marine aquarium fish Harlequin tuskfish, Choerodon fasciatus. Typical retail value and invertebrates in trade taken directly from coral reefs can be as much as US$115 for an Australian specimen. and adjacent habitats, the aquarium industry has 9