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CONSERVATION
Freshwater biodiversity is highly threatened today - a fact that should
be on the mind of every serious aquariast. The natural habitats of
tropical freshwater fish are increasingly threatened by human
activities, and while at times the hobby has been been at odds with
conservation, the role of aquariasts in preserving species is growing in
importance.
As their natural habitats are lost, freshwater fish species are
disappearing. A Malaysian study found fewer than half of the 266
resident fish species, while more than 30% of Singapore's fish species
are thought to be extinct. Freshwater biodiversity is highly
vulnerable. Habitats tend to be largely discontinuous meaning species
cannot easily cross land barriers that separate lakes and watersheds.
Thus freshwater fauna is generally localized, static, and subject
changing conditions. Whereas terrestrial species simply migrate in
response to habitat changes, freshwater species must cope with
ecological and climatic changes in order to persist.
Freshwater habitats are facing an onslaught of threats from
deforestation, waterway modification and dam construction, the
introduction exotic species, pollution, and over exploitation.
Deforestation in particular has major consequences for species popular
in the hobby. Erosion and the loss of habitat can severely affect fish
populations. Similarly damaging, the introduction of non-native species
(exotics) can devastate the local fauna as in the case of the Nile Perch
in Lake Victoria which has caused the extinction of endemic
Haplochromines.
Collection for the hobby has had a direct impact on some species to the
extent that they have become locally extinct over parts of their
ranges. For example the Bala shark is highly threatened in its native
Sumatra and Borneo due to its popularity as an aquarium fish. In the
past the Bala Shark (Balantiocheilus melanopterus) was heavily collected
since it did not readily reproduce in captivity (this has changed as
Balas are now captivity bred in fish farms). To optimize exploitation,
collectors targeted breeding grounds where Balas congregate for mass
spawning. The removal of breeding adults coupled with loss of habitat
from deforestation significantly impacted local populations. Similar
over harvesting has been documented among characins and the Arowana.
Today the role of aquariasts in conservation is changing. As habitat
loss continues -- especially the destruction of tropical forests -- the
importance of aquariasts in conservation is expanding. Aquariasts are
helping to maintain species (such as Cherry barbs and certain Killifish)
that are essentially extinct in the wild. By keeping these species and
populations viable, the fish-keeping community is protecting against
extinction. When and if reintroduction to natural habitats becomes
possible, it will be in part thanks to aquariasts.
Time has effectively run out for many species. Aquariasts can do their
part in preventing the further extinction of some freshwater fish.
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Recent news
Atlantic sturgeon gains protection under the Endangered Species Act
(02/01/2012)
The U.S. federal government has listed the massive and bizarre Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) under the protection of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Historically overfishing decimated the Atlantic sturgeon, while on-going threats include pollution and infrastructure, like dams and bridges that destroy habitat. Fishing for the Atlantic sturgeon has been banned since 1998, they are still caught as bycatch.
Photos: 46 new species found in little-explored Amazonian nation
(01/25/2012)
South America's tiniest independent nation still hides a number of big surprises: a three week survey to the sourthern rainforests of Suriname found 46 potentially new species and recorded nearly 1,300 species in all. Undertaken by Conservation International's (CI) Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) the survey found new species of freshwater fish, insects, and a new frog dubbed the "cowboy frog" for the spur on its heel. While Suriname may be small, much of its forest, in the Guyana Shield region of the Amazon, remains intact and pristine. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 91 percent of Suriname is covered in primary forests, however this data has not been updated in over two decades.
Featured video: tuna industry bycatch includes sea turtles, dolphins, whales
(01/16/2012)
A Greenpeace video, using footage from a whistleblower, shows disturbing images of the tuna industry operating in the unregulated waters of the Pacific Ocean. Using fish aggregation devices (FADs) and purse seine nets, the industry is not only able to catch entire schools of tuna, including juvenile, but also whatever else is in the area of the net.
Bycatch-reducing fish trap wins $20,000
(01/11/2012)
An innovative fish trap that allows small non-target fish to escape won a new content by RARE Conservation and National Geographic to fund solutions to overfishing. Developed through studies in Curaçao and Kenya with the Wildlife Conservation Society, the trap has gaps for juvenile fish to swim out of reportedly reducing bycatch by 80 percent. The entry won a $20,000 grant.
World's most expensive tuna
(01/05/2012)
A 593 pound Pacific bluefin tuna sold for $735,000 (56.49 million yen) in Tokyo's Tsukiji market today. This beats the previous record price hit last year by over $260,000. Why so expensive? Bluefin tuna, considered the best sashimi and sushi in the world, have been fished to near extinction with the population of the Pacific bluefin the most stable to date.
Top 10 Environmental Stories of 2011
(12/22/2011)
Many of 2011's most dramatic stories on environmental issues came from people taking to the streets. With governments and corporations slow to tackle massive environmental problems, people have begun to assert themselves. Victories were seen on four continents: in Bolivia a draconian response to protestors embarrassed the government, causing them to drop plans to build a road through Tipnis, an indigenous Amazonian reserve; in Myanmar, a nation not known for bowing to public demands, large protests pushed the government to cancel a massive Chinese hydroelectric project; in Borneo a three-year struggle to stop the construction of a coal plant on the coast of the Coral Triangle ended in victory for activists; in Britain plans to privatize forests created such a public outcry that the government not only pulled back but also apologized; and in the U.S. civil disobedience and massive marches pressured the Obama Administration to delay a decision on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, which would bring tar sands from Canada to a global market.
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