Jo Murray: Insights into the marine aquarium trade

I was pleased to host Dr Joanna Murray, a marine biologist at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), at the Lancaster Environment Centre earlier this month.

Jo and I are starting to look at the trade of wild-harvested fish in the Philippines for the international aquarium pet trade. We are interested in the taxa, techniques and geography of trade, as well as the local governance dimensions of resource access and trade--especially in the context of increasing demand, migration and resource scarcity.

We will soon be announcing opportunities for self-students Masters (by Research) students to work with us on the early stages of this project, including lots of multidisciplinary fieldwork (support available to help with field costs) on beautiful islands.

Jo's multidisciplinary research integrates biological and ecological studies with citizen science, and focuses on sustainable use of marine resources under changing environmental pressures. Recent projects have included work on the marine polychaetes in the context of aquarium trade, and assessment of Marine Protected Areas in the Solent under bait collection activities. At Lancaster, Jo provided an overview of global aquarium trade and the types of questions she is exploring (abstract below).

Insights into the marine aquarium trade

Harvesting fish and invertebrates from coral reefs to supply the global aquarium trade is driven by the aquarists’ desire to showcase the most diverse and rare ornamental reef species in their home aquaria. As a luxury hobby the industry is highly controversial. It has contributed to species over-exploitation (e.g. clown fish following “Finding Nemo”) and has been identified as a causal factor in habitat loss and degradation through the use of damaging and illegal fishing practices. The chain of custody from reef to tank is lengthy, highly complex and governance poor which has made ambitious global certification efforts problematic. However, many advocates of the industry believe that if well-managed, the marine aquarium trade could provide economic stability in low-income coastal communities whilst incentivising the maintenance of a healthy marine ecosystem. In this seminar, we will be taking a look at current research focused on characterising the aquarium industry; from exploring options for wild collection alternatives to initiatives for empowering local communities to establish sustainable management tools. Current approaches aimed at estimating the extent and volume of the global market, developments in ornamental aquaculture, and dynamics of the trade from source countries through to the hobbyist will also be presented.