The global trade in marine ornamental species

From ocean to aquarium
Conservation
efforts
A healthy reef off Nusa Penida, Indonesia.
Marine ornamental fisheries need to be managed
in such a way that they are biologically
sustainable, do not conflict with other resource
uses and keep post-harvest mortalities to a minimum.
Biologically sustainable means that harvested species
need to be replenished in their natural habitat at the
same or a greater rate than they are collected 6 . At the
same time, it is important to ensure that habitat damage
as well as impacts to other species are minimized.
Fisheries must also check that species unsuited to life in
aquaria are not collected. From a socio-economic point of
view, trade needs to be equitable and resource conflicts
between users (especially with members of the tourism
industry) need to be minimized.
The establishment of marine reserves where the
collection of marine ornamentals is made illegal may help
reduce this conflict, whilst at the same time removing a
section of the fish population from exploitation and
boosting recruitment to adjacent areas. Other measures
that can be taken to control collection pressure on marine
resources whilst conserving stocks of ornamental species
to ensure future sustainable harvests include the setting
of quotas and size limits, and restricting access to the
ornamental fishery through, for example, the use of
permits.
Governments and the industry itself play an
important role in supporting conservation initiatives and
promoting best practice. However, the consumer can also
encourage and promote change in the trade. Third-party
certification of the trade, whereby the consumer is empowered
to assist in the reduction of the environmental
impacts of the trade by selectively purchasing products
produced in an environmentally friendly manner, has been
recommended by many as a possibility for improved
management and monitoring of the trade.
In conjunction with efforts at local and governmental
levels to develop management plans guaranteeing
the sustainable collection of marine ornamentals from
the wild, pressure can be taken off wild populations by
supplying the trade with tank-bred rather than wildcaught
specimens.
MARINE AQUARIUM COUNCIL AND CERTIFICATION
MAC xix , on behalf of hobbyists, the industry and various
environmental groups, is developing a certification
scheme that will track an animal from collector to
hobbyist. Established in 1996, the goals of MAC are to
develop standards for quality products and sustainable
practices and a system to certify compliance with these
standards, and to create consumer demand for certified
products. With a network of 2,600 stakeholders in more
than 60 countries, it is recognized as the lead organization
for developing and coordinating efforts to ensure that the
international trade in ornamental marine organisms is
sustainable. MAC certification covers both practices
(industry operators, facilities and collection areas) and
products (aquarium organisms), and is often lauded as
the most effective means to ensure market demand and
support for quality products and sustainable practices in
the industry 30 .
Industry operators at any link in the chain of
custody (collectors, wholesalers, exporters, importers,
retailers) can be certified through an evaluation for
compliance with the appropriate MAC standard for the
Certification of Practices. For the Certification of Products,
MAC-certified marine ornamentals must be harvested
from a certified collection area and pass from one certified
operation to another, for example, from collector to
exporter to importer to retailer. MAC-certified marine
organisms bear the ‘MAC-certified’ label on the tanks and
boxes in which they are kept and shipped. To ensure that
MAC certification is credible and internationally acceptable,
MAC does not verify compliance with its own standards. It
accredits independent third-party certification companies
(Accredited Certifiers), which in turn assess compliance
with the appropriate MAC standard.
The MAC Core Standards outline the requirements
for third-party certification of quality and sustainability in
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