1 DECEMBER 1999
Sent: November 09, 1999
From: Will Borgeson <wdborgeson@ucdavis.edu>
To: <AQUA-L@killick.ifmt.nf.ca>
QUESTION:
Last I heard, the ornamental marine fish culture industry was not moving along well. A few brave (or wealthy) souls had attempted to culture clownfish in the Caribbean, but my understanding is that, while they had the biology pretty well worked out, it wasn't profitable compared to wild harvest. I've heard of other wisps of activity with other damsel species, but nothing concrete. Can anyone steer me toward valid information on the current status, if any, of this industry?
Will Borgeson
Culture Facilities Manager
Bodega Marine Lab
P.O. Box 247
Bodega Bay, CA 94923
USA
E-mail: wdborgeson@ucdavis.edu
***************
COMMENTS 1:
Several marine ornamental fish hatcheries closed down during the past
twenty years because it proved to be impossible to make a profit: e.g. Instant Ocean Hatcheries (Florida), Aqualife Research (Bahama's), ADAS (Denmark). They produced mainly clownfish (Amphiprion sp.), and neon gobies (Gobiosoma sp.). Aqualife Research experimented with angelfish (Pomacanthus sp.), but raised only several hundreds until they closed down.
Still producing is C-Quest (Puerto Rico), but they are probably not making a profit. They produce clownfish, neon gobies and several Pseudochromis species.
I worked myself for several years in Eilat, Israel, on marine ornamental
fish culture. While the location made sense (warm climate, tropical sea and reasonably close to the European market) I had to come to the conclusion that after addition of the air freight costs the price of cultured reef fishes, (while making a small profit) after landing at a European airport, was much higher than for wild caught specimens. Therefore, no ornamental fish wholesaler would order them. Adding to the problem is the fact that an ornamental hatchery can only produce a limited number of species, which is not very attractive to fish buyers who are used to import 50 or more species at once from the Far East.
An answer is maybe to produce ornamental fish within the market: a year an a half ago I moved back to Holland to attempt this. Within an existing marine wholesale business we have now a hatchery. While the costs of heating, lighting and seawater for our recirculating system are much higher (compared to a warm climate) there are no freight costs, so we are able to keep to the same price as the wild specimens. We produce until now 6 species of clown fish, 5 Pseudochromis sp., Calloplesiops altivelis, Pterapogon kauderni and the ornamental shrimp Lysmata wurdemanni.
A company in Florida called ORA, is doing more or less what we are doing. Mainly directly supplying the local aquarium shops.
A company in Taiwan is producing Pomacanthus maculosus, Lutjanus sebae and Gnathanodon speciosus in open ponds. The market for these species is however limited (large fish), while again, the airfreight after export to Europe or USA will drive up the price, leaving very little profit at best.
The situation may change of course if the import of wild reef fishes is
going the be limited because of environmental concerns by importing
nations.
Robert Brons
Hatchery Manager
De Jong Marine Life BV.
Spijk, The Netherlands
E-mail: robert@dejongmarinelife.nl
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COMMENTS 2:
This is a pretty comprehensive critique of ornamental marine fish hatchery industry.
I think that in addition to all of these kinds of problems and concerns
there are a couple of other overriding problems.
Firstly, most marine species are difficult to spawn in captivity and even
more difficult to raise through there larval stages. This is becoming easier as more and more species are being studied (both for food and
ornamentals). The second problem is not just the proximity to the market but also the size of the retail market. This has yet to reach the
critical mass needed to make commercial hatcheries a viable enterprise for many species. If we consider where freshwater ornamentals were 50 years ago, everything was collected in the wild, prices were high, and little was understood about the life and needs of many fish. I believe that we are on the threshold of some major and dramatic changes in the ornamental marine fish industry.
Richard Bradshaw
E-mail: info@syndel.com
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COMMENTS 3:
1. Reef fishes are in general many times more expensive than freshwater fishes and require costly equipment and supplies as well as know how to keep them alive in the home aquarium. It is therefore not a hobby for many millions of all ages, like freshwater fish keeping. I do not believe culture will make it any cheaper, rather the opposite.
2. While originally a marine aquarium used to be a fish tank full of
brightly coloured reef fishes, the hobbyists' interest has shifted towards
the so-called reef aquarium, a miniature reef ecosystem with many living and growing invertebrates (including thriving stony corals). Unfortunately, this miniature ecosystem supports only a very limited amount of (small) fishes, obviously because they tend to enrich the water with nitrate and phosphate or simply feed on invertebrates.
3. In Europe some governments are preparing so-called animal welfare laws. People wishing to obtain any kind of pet, wild or captive raised, will probably in the near future be tested on their know-how to take care of the animal. Several reef fish species will probably be forbidden altogether because their husbandry is regarded too difficult for the general public.
I therefore do not believe the marine ornamental fish market will grow to the size of the freshwater market.
I do agree that there are tremendously exciting biological problems in the larval rearing of reef fishes to be solved. However, if you study the
market it is in many cases hard to find any justification for investments in this.
Robert Brons
E-mail: robert@dejongmarinelife.nl
***************
COMMENTS 4:
There is a quite active, grass-roots movement toward culture of marine
biota - both fishes and invertebrates. This is mostly being done by
hobbyists, but academics are involved as well. For example, check out
<http://www.breeders-registry.gen.ca.us/index.html>, home page for "The Breeder's Registry for Marine Aquarium Cultured Fishes and Invertebrates."
Will Borgeson
Bodega Marine Lab
P.O. Box 247
Bodega Bay, CA 94923
E-mail: wdborgeson@ucdavis.edu
***************
COMMENTS 5:
The discussion on marine ornamental fish hatchery technology has been interesting and educational. Little mention has been made of the severe impact the ornamental fish trade is having on coral reefs, particularly in SE Asia, although I'm sure the participants in the discussion are well aware of the problem. This is a strong justification for more research effort into hatchery technology and other approaches to production of juveniles. Personally, I would like to see the trade in wild marine ornamental fish banned. It will never happen, but such a step would contribute significantly to saving what little is remaining of the coral reef environment in SE Asia. Between bad land management, collection of live fish by cyanide for the Hong Kong live fish market and marine ornamental trade, seahorses for traditional Chinese medicine, fish bombing and coral collection for the tourist trade, coral reefs in this part of the world do not have a promising future.
Charles Angell
E-mail : clangell@cilacap.wasantara.net.id