Petition to Ban the Aquarium Industry in Hawaii
- Thread starter sdcfish
- Start date
arentspowell
Member
#602
water junky
New member
If you ban collection, ban fishing too.
Late to the game on this, I'm a pretty new member.
I am signer #611
Ironically I will be in Maui in a couple weeks, I have been there once and I rented gear from Snorkel Bob's in Kihei. I was planning on doing the same thing this time, now that I've rad this article it's a more "interesting" choice as to where I'd rent snorkel gear from. I think maybe I will visit Snorkel Bob's and see what kind of discussion arises when I show them pics of my reef aquarium and comment on how nice it is that they are helping promote responsible reef husbandry, etc. and how this new hobby has become much more meaningful to me and my family because of the many, very highly educated and passionate people on RC and other forums that advocate as much as Snorkel Bob does for protecting these vital habitats.
Maybe I'll get free rentals, it's possible.... but yes, I will have a backup plan just in case Bob (or a Bob-like employee) is not ready to evolve their thinking quite yet.
Mahalo,
Chas41
I am signer #611
Ironically I will be in Maui in a couple weeks, I have been there once and I rented gear from Snorkel Bob's in Kihei. I was planning on doing the same thing this time, now that I've rad this article it's a more "interesting" choice as to where I'd rent snorkel gear from. I think maybe I will visit Snorkel Bob's and see what kind of discussion arises when I show them pics of my reef aquarium and comment on how nice it is that they are helping promote responsible reef husbandry, etc. and how this new hobby has become much more meaningful to me and my family because of the many, very highly educated and passionate people on RC and other forums that advocate as much as Snorkel Bob does for protecting these vital habitats.
Maybe I'll get free rentals, it's possible.... but yes, I will have a backup plan just in case Bob (or a Bob-like employee) is not ready to evolve their thinking quite yet.
Mahalo,
Chas41
In all fairness, I've rented gear from Snorkel Bob. They go out of their way to point folks in the right direction regarding how and where to snorkel. They even highly discourage some of the spots, that most guidebooks recommend, because they feel the areas are over-stressed already.
Everywhere you look, in Hawaii, you can find someone to rent you gear. At least Bob's seem to give a rats arse.
It's quite easy to take a lofty stance on this but the reality is that if you've bought a single wild-caught fish, you're personally responsible for the killing of dozens. The survival rate from ocean to LFS is terrible. I don't have any problem with Hawaii trying to protect their waters. There are plenty of other places to get fish/coral.
I had a positive experience with renting there about 5 yrs ago - and yes they did point out the good spots, etc and try to do some level of educating me on what to and what not to do. All good in my book - most likely the only reason I would not walk out of their with some snorkel gear is if they refused to rent to me - which would be "interesting"...
Luiz Rocha
Salty Dog
The only problem with this statement is that Hawaii is the location with the most responsible collecting practices, the best management and the best survival rates, by far. It would be like trying to eliminate pollution by closing the cleaner factories :headwalls:
I know this is about Hawaii but I have seen these same things happening to many reefs. Just last year I was at Cancun and the hotels that have rentals were sending people out without any knowledge. My family brought our own gear so we weren't part of the misinformed groups. When I looked into the water there were purpel sea fans approximately 4-5feet in diameter broke off and laying on the bottom getting covered with sand. Same goes for numerous other pieces of coral.
It makes me sick! It's not just the trade that's ruining the reefs it's mainly us (we'll some of us).
It makes me sick! It's not just the trade that's ruining the reefs it's mainly us (we'll some of us).
Luiz Rocha
Salty Dog
Yes, don't take me wrong either, all I am saying is that this is blown way out of proportion and Hawaii should actually be used as an example of how extraction of animals for the aquarium trade can be done well. If we follow this line of thought, it's not like we have an unalienable right to breed animals to our own amusement either.
Personally I think it is all about the impact, we as a species have an impact over our planet, we kill things (mostly not for food), and our impact should be minimized.
spehhh
eddie would go
i lived in hawaii for years.this ban has its goods and its bads,i have seen many reefs that have been stripped of all life and destroyed from people taking to much away. a LIMIT on how many permits they give out would be a better way to go because most dont operate under a permit.
Me neither, but that said, we didn't see any yellow tangs when we snorkeled @ the big island.
jimmy frag
New member
you obviously havnt ordered from the red sea. i order in bulk, 3 out of 4 dealers from Hawaii are garbage. they send sick and infested fish. you get what you pay for. sri lanka is my first choice. i can get anything from them that is from the south pacific. 100% healthy.
can you PM me the bad and the good ones?
jimmy frag
New member
SOME SPECIES ARE EVEN ON THE RISE !!. well maybe there is a problem if some are not !! jimmy
Luiz Rocha
Salty Dog
Collecting the fish is one thing, keeping them healthy is another... There are many more problems associated with collecting in other places than in Hawaii. Of course there are bad dealers in Hawaii, but current regulations (including the presence of the second largest marine reserve in the planet) don't allow them to do much damage.
If SnorkelBob were pushing for more responsible collecting and export practices I would be behind him 100%. He is saying that we have to completely ban the aquarium trade while doing nothing with completely unregulated fishing in Hawaii, which does much more damage to the reef.
That's because you were snorkeling in the wrong place - it has nothing to do with the aquarium industry. Go to the right area, and you'll see piles of them.
Aquarium fishing on the Big Island is already prohibited at the popular & accessible snorkeling spots. The aquarium industry doesn't have an effect on the fish on those areas. If you didn't see any yellow tangs in the place you went, it's because the area wasn't a good place for those fish. Every fish (yellow tangs especially) needs a specific type of habitat to thrive. Not every snorkeling spot is the same, so it's natural that some places will have a lot of yellow tangs and some places will have none.
It is true that Bob does care about the reef (in his own mind). I have known people who rented gear from him and were told to avoid some places because they were too crowded. Just like us, it's not in his best interest to destroy the reef. However, I've also seen plenty of bumbling tourists crushing marine life while carrying bags emblazoned with "Snorkel Bob Cares". Morevoer, the biggest threat to the reef (on Maui where Bob lives) is from the island's horrible sewage system that leaks effluent on to the reef and is incredibly damaging - this has actually been well documented. The reason this is a problem is because the island's growth hasn't kept up with its infrastructure. Meanwhile, the people staying in the condos and hotels and flushing the toilet are the same ones that the snorkeling industry depend on for practically all their business.
I don't personally have a problem with people snorkeling, staying in hotels, or doing whatever else tourists do that affects the environment. Saying that we should ban tourism is just as ridiculous as saying we should ban fishing - there's room for everything in moderation and as humans we need to figure out how to balance our activities with nature. What I do have a problem with is the level of hypocrisy that accompanies the whole thing. After Snorkel Bob started his campaign several years ago, several of us tried talking with him personally to see if there was any possibility of compromise. His response has always been that he doesn't care how many fish we take, he's doing it because he thinks the fish are his friends and it's mean to take them out of their homes; as long as we're still allowed to take one fish he'll still go after us. That has nothing to do with taking care of the environment - it's a personal issue that's driving the whole thing and it's the reason why they're trying to ban the fishery instead of pushing for reasonable fishing regulations.
Why do you say this? I catch aquarium fish myself and the survival rate of my fish (until it reaches the fish store) is close to 100%. I know this because if my fish have problems, I'll hear about it later on and won't get paid for them. Last time I asked one of my customers how many of my potter's angels he'd lost, he said it was about 1 in 500. We take good care of our fish and don't have any significant mortalities. Sure there are idiots now and then who don't know what they're doing and end up killing a bunch of fish; they are few and far between and rarely last long since it's a poor business model. People like "jimmy frag" who have had bad experiences should vote with their wallets and make sure nobody buys fish from bad wholesalers - it'll do all of us a favor. The last time the state did a study on fish mortality the absolute high estimate from reef to the mainland was something like 4% - IMO that's higher than what should be acceptable but it's still a far cry from what Bob & his friends are claiming.
It is true that there are places in the world where fish husbandry is pretty bad and a lot of the fish don't survive to reach the hobbyist. Hawaii is not one of those places.
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