Every year, up to a million beautiful fish are taken from reefs across Hawaii to feed the growing aquarium hobby trade. Many of these fish are found nowhere else on a Earth. Population numbers of some of these species have fallen up to 70%, and, unlike many fisheries, this trade has no quotas and almost no regulations to protect the fish.
The trade is also cruel. Many species undergo such stress that they die the next day, leading to the need for more capture and creating a vicious cycle. Almost all of the species die within a month due to things like starvation. The loss of these ecosystem engineers puts the entire Hawaiian reef ecosystem and animals like whales, sea turtles, and dolphins at risk.
Species involved in the trade include Achilles Tangs, Bandit and Potters Angelfish, Eyestripe Surgeonfish, Multiband and Teardrop Banditfish, Moorish Idols, Hawaiian Cleaner and Paychedellic Wrasses, Bluestriped and Longnose Butterflyfish, Spotted Boxfish, and Yellow Tangs.
However, a bill is now being proposed that would ban this destructive trade. Tell Hawaii Governor David Ige and Hawaii Minister of the Environment Catherine McKenna to sign the bill that would ban the aquarium hobby trade.
