Guest guest Posted February 1, 2005 Report Share Posted February 1, 2005 ***************************Advertisement*************************** TechCentral http://star-techcentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my) URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/2/1/focus/9992558 & sec=focus ________________________ Tuesday February 1, 2005 Darker side of ornamental fish trade THE craze for ornamental aquarium fish has made Malaysia the second largest exporter with more than 550 varieties of fish comprising 250 species bred for the local and world market. The ornamental fish trade has created a virtually unregulated industry based on collecting and breeding as many fish as possible, with little regard for the welfare of the fish and environmental concerns. Treating fish as ornaments instead of as live animals, breeding centres, seeking new market niches, produce numerous lucrative new varieties through selective breeding to produce the many sought-after coloured varieties around the world. In the case of the Flower Horn fish, much cross-breeding has resulted in producing some sort of a “mutated” fish. Lately the genetic manipulation of fish has given rise to the glowing green fish. In the homes, cruelty to and neglect of fish is not clearly seen, although many aquarium fish are kept under conditions of suffering, stress and deprived of conditions natural to their habitat, and when the craze is over, they are either neglected or left to die. In the trade and marketing in live fish for aquarium display, consumers tend not to consider a darker side: death before reaching the aquarists and or consumer, prematurely after purchase. Yet the mortality associated with these trades can be significant and, if this causes more fish to be harvested, it is also wasteful. Mortality may be due to a combination of poor capture and handling, poor conditions in holding and transport, physical damage, use of sodium cyanide, inadequate husbandry practices, facilities and transportation, stress and the inclusion of unsuitable species. Of great environmental concern is the collection of fish through bombing or use of cyanide in countries like the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. Meant to stun them so that they will drift out of the reef for easy collection, the cyanide kills as many as half of the fish on the spot. Many others die from cyanide residue after being purchased. The poison also kills the live coral where the fish live, which can take thousands of years to grow back. It’s an environmental catastrophe considering what has been done to the reefs over the years. Then there is the problem of dumping unwanted fish into the environment. The Flower Horn fish, once a craze but no longer in demand, prompted a word of caution from the Fisheries Department when released into the waterways. Non-native fish can play havoc with the habitat by killing other fish and wildlife, destroy vegetation, and pass on parasites and disease. In some cases it is possible for them to breed with local fish and create destructive offspring. The welfare of aquarium fish is an issue that has never been addressed, yet it has become a very serious hobby and even a livelihood for the aquarium fish industry. The Fisheries Departmeent should take a hard stance against companies that sell and display unhealthy and poorly kept fish. They should also insist on humane captive-rearing methods and proper handling and transportation. S.M. MOHD IDRIS, President, Sahabat Alam Malaysia. (via e-mail) <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2004 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.