And we do have net caught fishes. That I can guarantee because I've seen them round up net-catch fishes. Successful reefers here have kept batfishes and idols and tangs for years. I have fishes that are net caught and doing great. Actually, I hate exporters because they ship the net caught fishes OUT of my country so YOU can buy them. I'm actually left with bad fishes, and if I wasn't more decerning, I'd probably end up buying a cyanide caught fish, which is maybe 90% of the fishes available here. Indonesia and the Philippines supply 85% of aquarium fishes WORLDWIDE. SO if I don't see those fishes in my country, it is probably swimming in your tanks, right?
And i'm talking about my fishes. What about corals? Where on earth will you harvest LPS corals at 20 pesos per piece (1$ is 56 pesos, REGARDLESS of the species), so they can sell in the US for $200? If you were an importer/exporter, would you harvest them elsewhere? Will they sell those corals here? Partly. We have about a hundred people in the reef hobby, for the ENTIRE country. So where is the market? Yeah. western countries. They destroy our reefs for the western reef tanks actually.
So you can't BELITTLE my country by saying that you haven't bought fishes here for a gazillion years because you, and most probably your neighbors, have, had, and will always buy here. Believe me, if you're a businessman, you'd say that your fish came from Pluto or Saturn, but NOT from the Philippines or Indonesia. 85% is a HIGH probability that you got it here right? Business is business. Unless you hire a Coast Guard vessel to secretly chase your source.
And if it is true that you have stopped buying here, then Lo and Behold! Maybe those poachers will starve to death. But after Finding Nemo movie, they became richer.
YOU may stop buying here, only in principle. But the suppliers will not stop. And in fairness to them, some of them are legit, MAC certified, and will probably give you the best fishes, but will not tell you they got it here. again, its alive and healthy, the hell if it came here, right?
In closing, I will not defend the entire industry. There is a minority of good collectors, but the reef here is ghastly. Things must and will be done. We basically cannot depend on the government alone. As it is, we have a hard time protecting the forest from illegal loggers. And we have probably ten times more marine area than logging area. Advocacy is one thing. Actual actions is the tough part. One is avoid LFS selling known cyanide caught fishes. We have corals reforestations and protected areas. I'm planning a law that will require student divers to log in or at least plant a few coral frags in the sea, before they can get a diver's "license." There is hope. The corals may die, but in the end, we will have only one thing left. That is HOPE. It is a word, not a fish specie or coral frag.
So don't scold me for the things my countrymen does, because like you, I bash them. Not only that, I STOP them, not only talk about this and that.
And i'm talking about my fishes. What about corals? Where on earth will you harvest LPS corals at 20 pesos per piece (1$ is 56 pesos, REGARDLESS of the species), so they can sell in the US for $200? If you were an importer/exporter, would you harvest them elsewhere? Will they sell those corals here? Partly. We have about a hundred people in the reef hobby, for the ENTIRE country. So where is the market? Yeah. western countries. They destroy our reefs for the western reef tanks actually.
So you can't BELITTLE my country by saying that you haven't bought fishes here for a gazillion years because you, and most probably your neighbors, have, had, and will always buy here. Believe me, if you're a businessman, you'd say that your fish came from Pluto or Saturn, but NOT from the Philippines or Indonesia. 85% is a HIGH probability that you got it here right? Business is business. Unless you hire a Coast Guard vessel to secretly chase your source.
And if it is true that you have stopped buying here, then Lo and Behold! Maybe those poachers will starve to death. But after Finding Nemo movie, they became richer.
YOU may stop buying here, only in principle. But the suppliers will not stop. And in fairness to them, some of them are legit, MAC certified, and will probably give you the best fishes, but will not tell you they got it here. again, its alive and healthy, the hell if it came here, right?
In closing, I will not defend the entire industry. There is a minority of good collectors, but the reef here is ghastly. Things must and will be done. We basically cannot depend on the government alone. As it is, we have a hard time protecting the forest from illegal loggers. And we have probably ten times more marine area than logging area. Advocacy is one thing. Actual actions is the tough part. One is avoid LFS selling known cyanide caught fishes. We have corals reforestations and protected areas. I'm planning a law that will require student divers to log in or at least plant a few coral frags in the sea, before they can get a diver's "license." There is hope. The corals may die, but in the end, we will have only one thing left. That is HOPE. It is a word, not a fish specie or coral frag.
So don't scold me for the things my countrymen does, because like you, I bash them. Not only that, I STOP them, not only talk about this and that.
