Some national governments are even discussing potential bans on the trade in wild-caught marine ornamental fish. With consumers becoming more environmentally conscious, wholesalers and retailers are increasingly pressured to meet the requirements of their customers, while also adapting to policy shifts with tighter restrictions on the trade in wild fish, according to Deuss. There’s increasing interest from buyers who prefer sustainably produced fish.” As Deuss explains: “The market is rapidly changing. It took some time for captive-bred ornamental marine fish to compete with wild-caught stock, but that trend is now reversing. Coral farm managed by a local family for Bocas Mariculture in Panama While the fish are grown in the hatchery, the company also produces soft, colorful corals, which are cultured in coastal sites, under the watch of local fishing families. His hatchery is now mainly producing small reef fish species that are in high demand in Europe and the United States.
It was challenging to convince the authorities, but after a research permit and 10 years of groundwork, he finally received a commercial export permit in 2019, a first for Panama and most of the region. He saw an opportunity to sustainably breed marine species for the aquarium trade while simultaneously generating employment for local communities. While visiting Panama for a project with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, he noticed its fantastic marine environment, but also realized how overfishing was rampant and that local coastal communities were struggling to make ends meet. These successes brought him first to Colombia to collaborate with the Institute of Marine and Coastal Research and he also managed marine ornamental farms and related projects in Palau, Micronesia and French Polynesia. His impressive track record includes breeding well over 60 marine finfish and 20 crustacean species in captivity – including several word firsts. Originally from Germany, Deuss started keeping and breeding fish while still a boy. This is precisely the angle that Deuss and his company Bocas Mariculture approach the business from their base in Panama. For instance, a Filipino fisherman receives roughly $0.2 for a clownfish that retails for around $20. In addition, the long supply chains often minimize benefits for local fishers. With the current degraded status of most of the world’s reefs due to increasing sea temperatures, stronger storms, pollution and overfishing, depleting reefs of what wild stocks remain does little to let reefs recover. Wild caught ornamental fish for sale in Manila (Philippines) However, hand-net fishing initiatives and better management practices have fortunately changed the seascape. In the past, many were caught using destructive fishing methods like sodium cyanide. Most of the popular marine ornamentals hail from warm tropical regions such as Southeast Asia (particularly the Philippines and Indonesia), the Caribbean and the Red Sea. It’s estimated that some 50 million coral reef animals (including fish, corals and other invertebrates) are annually caught and sold to marine aquarium hobbyists. Approximately 20 percent of the total trade consists of marine species.Īlthough ornamental freshwater fish, such as goldfish and koi, are extensively cultured, particularly in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, marine fish and invertebrates are still mostly caught in the wild. In the United States alone, 15 million households own aquaria, with 2.5 million housing marine fish ( Springer, 2018).
The total sale of ornamental freshwater and marine livestock amounts to an annual global turnover of about $5 billion. This is not because of its lack of potential – the global aquarium industry is currently valued at $12 billion and, with a CAGR of 7 percent, is expected to reach almost $20 billion by 2026. Though the production of seafood for human consumption has been in the spotlight for several decades, with investors willing to back a wide range of business proposals, the ornamental aquaculture industry is relatively unknown.
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