Palau bans aquarium fish export

Pacific Magazine-May 11th, 2008

The exportation of live reef fish has now been banned in Palau, following spirited debate over whether it was a matter for state or national government control.

Rather than a stand alone bill, the ban on the exporting of live reef fish was this week passed after being attached to a bill to increase the maximum loan amount by the Palau National Development Bank.
Individual State governments had granted permission for life fish exports by
collecting direct fees and until this law, no national legislation protected these vital resources.

The issue of the catching, holding and feeding snapper and grouper with smaller fish and periodic shipping of the fish to markets in Hong Kong and Taiwan was brought to public attention earlier in the year when a local tour operator posted photographs of a “mother ship” and numerous fishing boats on its website.

The Northern Reefs are considered critical breeding grounds for fish consumed by the people of Palau. As such, indiscriminate fishing of not only mature fish but also the smaller fish used as food, concerned marine environmentalists and local leaders.

In his legislative request to the Congress, President Remengesau Jr. had stressed that the “insatiable markets of Asia” for fresh reef fish would result in the decimation of Palau’s reef fish unless banned.

Interesting, being an owner of a couple of aquariums, one fresh and one salt water, I buy captive bred species whenever possible. With a little research and a chat with the store staff, you can usually find which ones are captive bread, not just the fish, but also the shrimps, crabs, corals etc. Some are advertised that way as part of their marketing strategy.

The trade needs to be controlled, if it can't be managed any other way, then a complete ban would seem to be the short term answer. Perhaps, as we are better able to manage reef ecosystems, we can find a sustainable solution at some stage.

interesting. this ban might cause the locals to have a lack of value feeling towards the reef since their lively hood has just been cut. this could have negative effects.

Valid point, any conservation efforts need to take into consideration the requirements of the local population. I know they've had success in some areas by agreeing with the locals to keep pregnant seahorses in mesh keep nets until they have delivered their brood. At least that helps maintain the population and appears to be a good compromise. In that case it was better than trying to ban in completely.

Not sure how much the locals make out of the aquarium fish trade, but not much compared to the wholesalers and retailers, I'm sure. Hopefully, they can increase tourism in the area and supplement the local economy that way.

We'll see!