Although i agree that 100% live rock is the way to go for the biodiversity and better overall look and health of the tank, can the existing wild reefs sustain the hobby? Are we doing the worlds oceans a disservice by using 100% live rock? Is there some blend of wild and dead rock that would give our tanks the biodiversity they need while giving the oceans a break? Or is more aquacultured rock the answer, aquacultured in places with less pest than Florida?
Must be hive-mind, because I've been having similar thoughts regarding live rock collection recently. That's led me into further research regarding this hobby's sustainability and eco footprint as it relates to coral and fish collection.
I agree with you that in the long run, some of the practices we see now, including live rock collection, are not sustainable. My feeling is that over the coming years most countries will be going the way of the marshalls and tonga and we'll be seeing collection bans on live rock as well as fish and coral specimens. The good news is that the market will answer with eco friendly solutions that benefit the hobby as well as local economies, as we're starting to see with coral farming in places such as PNG. The live rock market has been slow to react in places other than florida, but as foreign national and local governments start to see the dangers of unsustainable practices and the economic possibilties for maricultured operations, that should change as well.
It really comes down to an education issue across the board, from hobbyists to the individuals doing the collection. I really believe that, as in most internet forums of any type, the education level you see at reef central is not representative of the hobby population at large....we're really looking at a skewed sample here. The more that people can be educated on sustainable practices, buying aqua/maricultured livestock etc., the faster this hobby will progress and flourish over the long term. Unfortunately that will require the marine aquatics industry to initiate the push, and I'm not sure we'll see widespread adoption of those practices without some pretty serious supply limitations coming about.
Having been to a lot of the places where we commonly see live specimens originating from, I must say it leaves me more than a bit conflicted. They are some of the most beautiful and pristine places on earth, and I feel strongly that we as a group should, where possible, vote with our wallets to help support industry that will preserve them. That being said, no situation is perfect, as evidenced by the fact that I will probably buy wild live rock in the next week or two and hope that my conscience can be offset by trying to stock with sustainable livestock.
