[loosecannon]

the aquarium hobby is a sound and worthwhile pursuit, educational not only for us but for the many people who visit and view our reef`s. For several hundred thousand individuals , the aquarium trade is a livelihood- a way to make a living by catching,farming,or trading aquarium organisms. The aquatic trade is particularly important as a source of income in many third world countries, where whole local communities can be dependent on the capture or aquaculture of ornamental fishes and invertebrates. The # of people in Sri Lanka alone involved in the export of reef animals is over 50,000. The FAO reported that the export value of ornamental fishes and invertebrates in 1996 a lone was more than $200,000,000 bucks U.S. . In excess of 60 % of that some $130,000,000 , wentback into the economies of this countries. example in 1994, the Maldives exported less than 250 kg. of ornamental fishes to the United Kingdom and received , in terms of net weight of fish, more than $496,000 per ton. In contrast, food fish harvested from the in the Seychelles was exported at a value of just$6,000 per ton. Animals suce as Tridacan spp. that were nearly wiped out in many areas by overcollection for the asian food trade are now being propagated by many tropical island nations. Coral farms that produce small , started colonies of numerous species are also appearing in many place in the world. Some of these farms are even involved in projects to restock reefs that have been damaged by bleaching events and other natural or man made disasters. Beyond supporting global eforts to build a sustainable aquarium trade, there are alos immediate actions we can take on a more personal level.