Nature’s Performance - Yellow Tang Ballet in Hawai’i

@EarthFocusImages
The global trade in coral reef fishes for the aquarium market involves 15 to 30 million fish per year, of which 99% are taken from the wild (see Biondo and Burki 2020). Many more die during capture and fewer than 1% survive the first year.

To show you why taking these beautiful animals from the wild is an injustice, we filmed one of the most-traded species, the Yellow tang (Zebrasoma flavescens), in their natural environment along the west coast of the Island of Hawai’i. They form large schools that move in unison, like a choreographed ballet. The grace and beauty of this nature's performance cannot be replicated in a personal aquarium tank. Not to mention that they can live for more than 30 years in the wild (Claisse et al. 2009), while their lives in aquariums are often measured in months or at best a few years. Witness their natural splendor in the short film.

Although Biondo and Burki (2020) estimated the global trade to be between 15 and 30 million coral reef fish annually, they also indicated consistent data are lacking and that this number could be as high as 150 million. What we do know is that in many areas of the world this trade results in widespread destruction of coral reefs and the death of many fish before they even enter the trade. Here’s why: in countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia, fish are often captured using cyanide, a potent toxic, to stun them. This allows collectors to easily catch the fish, but more than 90% of those fish die and coral reefs suffer severe damage. And just like humans, fish suffer from barotrauma (gases expanding in organs and tissues) when brought to the surface too quickly; collectors solve that by puncturing the swim bladder to release expanded internal gas, but research has shown this increases stress (Munday et al. 2015). Also, fish are often starved for several days before shipping to purge the digestive system and facilitate packing and transport in minimal water, mostly to reduce freight costs. Of course, that only worsens their plight. Of the fish who manage to survive the combined stressors of capture and shipping, less than 1% survive even 1 year in a personal aquarium. For each animal that dies, many more are captured to replace them. This keeps the demand for replacement fish high, which means continuing harm of wild coral reef fish populations worldwide.

While the trade provides jobs for people in some of the poorest coastal regions of the world, this trade is unsustainable, unethical, and with significant consequences for the overall health of coral reefs worldwide, on top of other major threats from climate change, ocean acidification, and pollution.

We can do better.

Learn more at:
www.forthefishes.org
www.coral.org

References:
Biondo, M.V., and R.P. Burki. 2020. A systematic review of the ornamental fish trade with emphasis on coral reef fishes—An impossible task. Animals 10: 2014. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10112014

Munday, E.S., B.N.. Tissot, J.R. Heidel, and T. Miller-Morgan. 2015. The effects of venting and decompression on Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens) in the marine ornamental aquarium fish trade. PeerJ 3:e756 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.756
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Videography, photography, and production: Frank TvM
Copyright 2023 - Turtle Creek Productions

Видео Nature’s Performance - Yellow Tang Ballet in Hawai’i канала EarthFocus Images