The Pacific blue tang (Dory) should be kept on the reef.
In fact, there are no data we are aware of that support claims of increased fishing pressure on clownfish because of “Finding Nemo.” The problem with aquaculture for Dory So concerns over “Finding Dory” and its impact on clownfish populations are likely unwarranted.
Wild collection of clownfish has been decreasing steadily over the past 10 years, commercial aquaculture can meet any spikes in demand for Nemo (and is also offering designer clownfish).
There are also numerous companies internationally, so even if there was an increase in clownfish sales after the release of “Finding Dory,” this demand could be met by increases in captive production. based companies, can produce hundreds of thousands of clownfish in captivity each year, yet there are no official trade statistics to compare domestic production to international supply. Marine aquaculture companies such as Florida-based ORA, one of the largest U.S. Clownfish have been bred in captivity (aquaculture) since 1973, and they have the capacity to produce all fish in the trade. Unfortunately, trade statistics do not accurately reflect if imported fish are wild or from aquaculture. The global wild Nemo population is estimated to be between 13 and 18 million fish. In 2011, just over 250,000 percula and ocellaris clownfish were imported into the U.S., making this species complex the seventh most popular marine aquarium fish import. This species is often misidentified as the common or false-percula clownfish ( Amphiprion ocellaris), and because of the mistakes in identification, these species are combined in trade statistics. Nemo is technically the percula clown fish ( Amphiprion percula), since he lived on the Great Barrier Reef. Many clownfish species are similar in appearance, and thus cannot be differentiated in trade statistics. But the real confusion in understanding the trade in clownfish is trying to tell the species apart. – 24 different species from 25 different countries. There are many types of clownfish imported into the U.S. But researchers Diogo Verissimo and Anita Wan found there was no evidence for an increase in trade in this fox.Ĭontrary to what popular movies may say, tangs are very difficult to breed in the laboratory. Following the release of the movie “Zootopia,” the LA Times and the Guardian reported a rise in interest and sales of fennec foxes – one of the animals depicted in the film – as pets. Understanding the trade of fish destined for saltwater aquariums is difficult, since statistics on the pet trade are poor at best. Our actions in the name of conservation could actually harm the health of coral reefs and the communities that depend on them. If we end these fisheries, what will the fishermen do? Acting without fully understanding the trade in marine ornamental fish could lead to a host of unintended consequences. These reef fisheries, however, are important economic drivers for the reef-side communities. This weekend, “Finding Dory” is being released, and this is leading to renewed calls to stop taking aquarium fish off reefs including Dory’s species, the Pacific blue tang. “Finding Nemo” was reported to increase sales of clownfish for aquariums. Fishing of any kind is often seen as a further assault on these ecosystems, and any perceived increase in fishing, especially when not for subsistence, is often met with calls to stop taking fish from the sea.Īs has been the case with other movies featuring pets, Coral reefs across the globe are under threat from climate change.