I'm writing this because there is some interest and concern about the future of our hobby, and in highlighting these issues in a goal oriented fashion may be helpful for some to recognize the breadth of the task and challenges at hand. I will try to tackle this summation as frankly as possible while avoiding a fatalistic narrative, although I'm certain the cynic inside me will foreshadow the gravest scenarios.
Unfortunately the fact of the matter is that we stand at a cross roads in our hobby. Whether you subscribe to anthropogenic global climate change or not is irrelevant (let me know if you would like me to build this case with you privately, I'll allot you to find your own conclusion. Any rational person finds the analysis compelling, yet I digress). There is a siege of other issues facing our hobby on many fronts; economic, environmental, political, and social. There are few comprehensive, cohesive, and coherent analysises of the hard data surrounding our trade. Much of the information is based on collections of individual reports, or inferred from extrusions of small data sets, or improperly manipulated through non-parametric methods. Depending on the narrator some of the available data sets are just outright false. The only honest way to approach this data is at the broadest scale possible.
At present there are some 2600 species of marine organisms traded annually throughout the world. Of these merely 70 have been successfully bred and reared in captive conditions at least once. Even fewer are routienely or commercially produced, yet the formentioned conditions dictate that we make haste to supplant imported species. Naturally, this is a goal enthusiasts and professionals alike have had for years. For years organizations and businesses have attempted time and time again to lay the ground work for sustainable practices, fair trade, and eco-labeling campaigns. However due to a lack of consumer demand these efforts have gone unnoticed and have faded into obscurity. This is in stark contrast to the puchasing habits of sea food consumers who demand to know the impact of the foods they're purchasing. This isn't true in all market communities, however it is much more common than what is seen in the marine ornamental market. Presumably this is due to a simple lack of education, or perhaps due to suspicion among common reef keepers that introspection may force a guilty reprisal.
Fear not tho, our hobby is vessel for education, it is a means of sustainence for indigenous peoples, and generally speaking it is reasonably responsible. However there are many other challenges facing wild reefs and I'm calling on everyone in the community to step up and do better.
Question: why a call for action now? Because improvements in our techniques, technology, and the base of knowledge have led us to now. We have the capacity to reduce reliance on wild stocks, influence collector behavior, indemnify elements of our hobby for years to come, educate the public about the significance and importance of reef ecosystems, and to raise public awareness about the plight of wild reefs and our oceans. Ten years ago these objectives were only coming into focus, two decades ago they were virtually unthought of. Over this time much has changed despite us, but even more because of our efforts. Despite our actions reefs are inperiled for a variety of reasons including (and in no way limited to);
1.) Coastal development - which includes destruction of natural filters such as mangroves and estuary environments which act as nursuries for fish larvae. Pollution which includes chemical agents, nutrient loading, and sedimentation. All of these forces conspire to create fundamental changes in microbial composition, turbidity, benthic communities, and dissolved oxygen.
2.) Overfishing - a majority of fishing efforts are due to global food markets. Many
