Male Blue Throat Trigger

It’s amazing the difference a day makes. It can mean something positive or negative. Hurricane Irma has just hit Florida, and when something like this happens your attitude changes and people come together to help those in need. The human race is amazing in so many ways.

I write this because just last week, there was a ban put on Hawaiian fishing for our industry. It seems silly now to worry about this since Irma passed through, but we woke up Thursday morning and the ban was there. Between Wednesday when we went to bed and Thursday morning when we woke up our aquatic world changed.  They don’t know how long it will be up. This is a game changer in a lot of ways. Many are holding their yellow tangs to use as brood stock because we know they can be bred. Same with the angelfish. Now what about the wrasses, the hawk fish and inverts that only call Hawaii home? Will we ever be able to get those guys again?

Many people will call this a triumph and I guess, like I said, you can spin anything in a positive or negative way. Lets see what we can say good about this ban. Well, um…….pretty fish stay in the ocean (which I think is incredibly important being the aquaculture advocate that I am).  I think if there is good, then it’s in the captive breeding of fish. Maybe this will get more people to try their hand at breeding fish and we can all raise fish for each other. Maybe by the time they lift the ban we won’t need them, we will say “no fish, you stay in the ocean where you belong. I am raising your brother in captivity where he only knows what I tell him.” I am always for captive breeding and not taking fish from the ocean, but I know we are not ready for this just yet. In the past few years, the species that have been successfully raised is astounding. There are new breakthroughs constantly, and in time I am confident that we will no longer need to catch fish from the ocean. We need to come together and tell these people as an industry that we are working overtime to get this done. We need an extension; we need to sign petitions that are going around. We need to contact these people and ask that they take away the ban.

Through tragedy and disaster we see the best in humanity shine through.  Stay safe!

Here is the information on the ban:

https://www.reef2rainforest.com/2017/09/07/hawaii-supreme-court-ruling-halts-aquarium-fishery/

https://www.reef2rainforest.com/2017/09/08/dlnr-statement-on-commercial-aquarium-fishing-ruling/