CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14
Wild-caught yellow tangs, such as this specimen, could one
day be accompanied by their captive-bred counterparts.
PHOTO: JOHN DAWES
It took clownfish breeding many years before it could claim to
be a universal commercial success. The fact is that there are
many factors involved besides getting fish to breed in aquaria.
The end product must, in addition, be able to compete with
what’s already available from the wild-caught sector and/or it
must offer something different. In the case of clownfish, both
criteria have been met, hence the now-almost-guaranteed
success of captive-bred clowns on the open market. The
challenges facing the captive breeding of yellow tangs before
they can claim commercial viability, however, arejust beginning.
For a start, the research programme behind the newly
announced milestone stretches back some 14 years. During
this time it has involved numerous people and considerable
funds, with little or no success worth talking about until the
past few months. Just do the arithmetic and you’ll be amazed
at how costly each surviving yellow tang larva works out. If we
are not talking of millions of dollars per fish, we are certainly
talking of hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is a self-evident
truth that no-one is going to pay this sort of money for a yellow
tang…or for any other fish, for that matter!
In addition, although larvae are surviving for a while, the longestsurviving specimen to date (named Lucky!) did so for just 83
days, and most survivors only last 50-70 days. This, in itself, is
quite amazing and stands as robust testimony to the skills and
determination of the team led by Dr. Chatham K. Callan.
Yet, even if commercially bred yellow tangs were to become
widely available (as I expect them to be in due course), this is not
likely to signal the end of the sustainably managed wild-caught
sector…nor should it be. It is easy for those who are not familiar
with the ins and outs of a well-run commercially operated fishery
to believe that captive breeding is the answer to everything,
including the survival of reefs themselves. It is not!
16 | Pet Industry News
Sustainably run harvesting which employs ethical methods of
collecting and respect for the environment can actually aid in
the conservation of reefs, their inhabitants and the people who
depend on them for their livelihoods, just as it has proved to be
an important component in the conservation of the Amazonian
rainforest surrounding the Rio Negro (see the Project Piaba
website for further details: http://projectpiaba.org).
This is being proved over and over again, but the message
from the anti-trade lobby is one that can appeal to the
general public’s emotions. Faced with the sensationalised,
but incorrect, picture of an ornamental aquatic trade that is
ripping the heart out of the world’s dwindling wild places, the
less dramatic, but correct and documented, scientific arguments
showing how sustainable, ethical fisheries can (and do) benefit
the wild, are more difficult to assimilate by the general public.
Captive breding is here to stay…and that’s a good thing. It’s even
better when combined with the sustainable, ethical wild-caught
sector. In the case of yellow tangs, it will be a long time before
the current captive breeding successes create a niche for such
specimens within the marine ornamental industry (let’s hope
they do). Even if this turns out to be the case, though, the need
for wild-caught fish – if only as fresh breeding stocks for the
numerous breeding programmes that will be necessary to
satisfy existing world demand for the species - will continue,
hopefully, running compatibly alongside Hawaii’s stringently
managed capture-based marine ornamental industry.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
My sincere thanks to Dr Chatham K. Callan of the Oceanic
Institute of the Hawaii Pacific University, Waimanalo, for sending
me the photo of the captive-bred yellow tangs, along with
permission to use it in this piece.