The Transect Line – May/June 2016

Bill is all smiles after a Reef Check dive; Photo: Colleen Wisniewski

By Craig Shuman, Reef Check California Founding Director

The Reef Check Family and California ocean community are deeply saddened by the recent passing of our dear friend and colleague, Bill Golden. Bill was one of those individuals whose infectious passion for the ocean and ear to ear grin was enough to make anyone smile on their worst day. An accomplished scientific diver, it didn’t take much to convince Bill to join the Reef Check California team to assist with our initial trainings. Often first in the water to lay transects and last one out after retrieving gear, Bill would jump right into assisting trainees with their data sheets and species identification while the rest of us were still trying to get warm. When not diving, Bill was often out on a boat or kayak trying to catch the big one or spending time in the desert or mountains.

Bill jumps in for another dive; Photo: Derek Smith

Bill was instrumental in the successful development of the Reef Check California program. Not only did he provide valuable diving and scientific support in the field, he also was responsible for developing, building and maintaining our early data systems. Working under contract in our first year of operation, Bill developed a state-of-the-art data entry procedure and database. He then continued to work as data manager for a number of years to enter and archive all the data that was coming in from our survey teams across the state.

One of the greatest things about Reef Check is that it brings together like-minded individuals who are passionate and committed to the ocean. We all benefit and grow from the relationships we develop spending time together with incredible individuals out on the ocean, but we also suffer greatly when one of our own is prematurely taken from us. Bill will be greatly missed, but his memory will serve as inspiration to all who were fortunate to have crossed his path.

“Bill really introduced me to the northern Channel Islands and we spent many days at sea completing survey dives at beautiful sites around the islands. Bill was always ready for any challenge, from camping on the back deck of the boat in the rain, helping me shop for provisions for our trips (always selecting the best food), diving for our anchor stuck in the rocks below, getting an underwater hug by a harbor seal at Anacapa Island or grilling up a tri-tip at the end of a long day in the water. I’ll always be reminded of Bill on all my Channel Islands dives and will be smiling through my scuba regulator at the thought of it.”
– Colleen Wisniewski, Regional Manager for Reef Check California

By Dr. Gregor Hodgson, Reef Check Executive Director

How many of your friends own a home aquarium with tropical fish? It is a popular home hobby and over 10 million Americans own an aquarium. When Finding Dory, the sequel to the film Finding Nemo was released this month, many environmentalists worried that we would have a repeat of the Nemo disaster when thousands of kids tried to flush their clownfish down the toilet to “save” them by returning them to the sea.

But there is a more serious environmental concern regarding marine aquarium fish and that is fisheries management. For large food fish like tuna, national and international management organizations try their best to track both the size of tuna populations and the size of the fish. Using sophisticated models, scientists calculate what they think is a reasonable number of fish that can be caught each year and these are allocated to fishermen. Although our track record in fisheries management is terrible, generally the failures are due to politics and not the scientific recommendations.

Like tuna, most tropical saltwater fish are captured alive, but unlike tuna they are kept alive and transported from countries like the Philippines and Indonesia to the US and Europe for eventual sale to consumers. Compared to the $30 billion world tuna trade, the entire marine aquarium trade is estimated to total less than $100 million. So it doesn't get as much attention, and the fact is that 90% of marine aquarium fish are caught from unregulated and unmanaged fisheries. In places like Hawai’i and Australia, the fisheries are regulated.

Although the entire marine aquarium trade is small compared to tuna, the prices of some rare species of marine aquarium fish are the highest of any fish in the world – exceeding $100,000 per pound. Even relatively common fish like the Blue Tang (Dory) could fetch $100 per pound!

Boy on reef with cyanide; photo by J Jeffords

In addition, sadly, almost all tropical marine aquarium fish are caught using sodium cyanide mixed in water as a “knock out” chemical to disable the fish but not kill it. In the Philippines, for example, a diving fisherman will use a bottle of cyanide solution to squirt the poison into a crevice on the coral reef where a small fish like a Blue Tang, is hiding. If done properly, the fish stops swimming and is easily scooped into a net, but the cyanide also kills the corals and other animals surrounding the crevice. On reefs where cyanide fishing is carried out every day, the reef can be damaged. Although cyanide fishing is illegal in most countries, the laws have been difficult to enforce. So the damage continues, and without fisheries management plans, the populations of marine aquarium fish are often reduced below “safe” levels.

In addition to problems at the source, there can be problems when the live fish are transported long distances by airplane. A typical flight from Manila to Los Angeles takes 15 hours. Buyers and sellers don't want any fish to die but accidents happen, and cold temperature and lack of oxygen can cause fish to die in transit.

There are also problems in the importing countries including the US. Like learning to drive, learning to keep tropical marine fish alive in a home aquarium requires special knowledge and training. Unlike clownfish, which are fairly easy to keep in captivity for several years, the Blue Tang requires special handling and food. Some fish are almost impossible to keep alive. But unlike driving a car, no license is required to buy even the most difficult-to-care-for tropical marine fish. As a result, many fish die in home aquaria. In a small study carried out by one of my former UCLA students in Sydney, Australia about 50% of the fish bought by home aquarium owners died within two weeks of purchase. Even if a larger study were to show it is only 10%, this is a lot of dead reef fish when over 12 million fish are imported into the US every year.

Given that some fisheries are formally managed using science and given that Reef Check is a science-based conservation organization, over ten years ago we accepted an invitation from conservation partners to try to work out a better management system for marine aquarium fisheries. We worked on this problem until 2008, and had some successes and some failures.

On the success side we were able to develop a suite of survey methods, a fisheries model and strategies to properly manage marine aquarium fisheries. These were tested in several countries and worked well. We also found that we could engage aquarium fishermen in setting up Marine Protected Areas to help build up their fish stocks and this improved stocks of both aquarium and food fish. Our partners had success in training fishermen to catch fish using nets and without cyanide.

Now, many environmentalists believe that the marine aquarium trade should be shut down because these are beautiful wild-caught animals much like an Amazon parrot or a Burmese python. I understand this point of view, but most marine aquarium fish species are extremely abundant, so if we ban the marine aquarium trade, to be fair, should we ban all fishing?

Assuming that the trade will continue for the near future, what are the major issues that need to be addressed now to make it “sustainable” in the sense that we are not jeopardizing healthy populations of any species?

1. Reduce wild catch: Figure out how to breed more marine aquarium fish through aquaculture. Only a few have been solved.
2. Reduce cyanide use: Crack down on cyanide use by providing resources to the enforcement agencies specifically for this purpose. Provide net-catch training for 1000s of fishermen by using training of trainers.
3. Enforce the Lacy Act: It is illegal to import anything obtained illegally in violation of the exporting country. Cyanide fishing is illegal in these countries. On March 9, 2016 a consortium of marine conservation groups filed a legal petition to force the US government to enforce the Lacy Act.
4. Improve fisheries management: Use the MACTRAQ methods developed by Reef Check to better track and manage marine aquarium fisheries in exporting countries.
5. Reduce transport mortality: Regulate the transport of wild caught fish to maximize survival.
6. Reduce post-purchase mortality: Retailers should use well-known rankings of difficulty to control the purchase of each fish species by requiring the labeling of fish, and limiting purchases to buyers who have been trained and certified to keep each level of marine fish.

As a scientist, I’d like to believe that we can use science to successfully guide management of marine aquarium fisheries. As a former Peace Corps Volunteer with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Cebu, Philippines — a center of cyanide fishing, I am familiar with enforcement issues and I know how poor the coastal fishermen are. I know that if they can’t make money from aquarium fishing they will put even more effort into fishing for food, further damaging the reefs. And at the same time, I wonder how many kids have been poisoned inadvertently by fishermen mixing cyanide solution in their homes? If the trade is going to continue, we all need to do a better job of solving the problems noted above.

Please join the Reef Check Foundation on Thursday, September 15th to celebrate the reefs, oceans and Reef Check’s 20th Anniversary! Reef Check's 2016 Save the Reefs, Save the Oceans Gala will be on the beach at the Jonathan Beach Club in Santa Monica. The evening will feature fun music, unique auction items, delicious food, and an opportunity to meet our amazing honorees and some of the thousands of volunteer Reef Check EcoDivers who monitor California and tropical reefs as part of Reef Check's citizen scientist programs.

We will recognize the contributions of our “Heroes of the Reef” each having demonstrated an exemplary commitment to ocean conservation:

Michael Weber
Poseidon Award
In appreciation of his dedication to marine science and conservation in California and around the world through his conservation books and work with the Resources Legacy Fund, Center for Marine Conservation and the California Fish and Game Commission

Matthias Hammer
Reef Stewardship Award
In appreciation of his founding of Biosphere Expeditions, which has inspired adventurers including Reef Check divers, to protect and conserve the environment for over 15 years

Julian Hyde
Hero of the Reef Award
In honor of his founding and managing of Reef Check Malaysia for 10 years and his service as Reef Check Regional Coordinator for the Pacific

Ruben Torres
Hero of the Reef Award
In honor of his founding and managing of Reef Check Dominican Republic since 2004 and his service as Reef Check Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit https://reefdpd.wpengine.com/events/gala2016/

Sponsorship opportunities are available. We are also looking for donated items for our auction. Please contact rcinfo@reefcheckstg.wpengine.com or 1-310-305-4622 for information on how to participate.