Journal Watch Online 30 Dec 09;
Tropical fish are a common sight in home aquariums. But owners are increasingly interested in furnishing their tanks with small reef ecosystems as well, including invertebrates that perform services such as grazing and pest control. That trend could be leading a Florida fishery toward collapse, scientists warn in PLoS ONE.
The team studied records from the Florida Marine Life Fishery, a primary supplier for aquariums. Since 1994, the number of specimens collected annually has risen by about 13 percent per year, reaching 9 million specimens in 2007. Species that provide ecosystem services, such as grazers, showed the biggest increases in landings, the team found.
The collection of these invertebrates could pose a threat to natural reefs, the authors say. A reef without enough grazers, which keep algae levels down, might be less resilient. But the economic downturn could check the demand for expensive aquariums, the team notes, giving managers time to institute new regulations. – Roberta Kwok
Source: Rhyne, A., Rotjan, R., Bruckner, A., & Tlusty, M. (2009). Crawling to Collapse: Ecologically Unsound Ornamental Invertebrate Fisheries PLoS ONE, 4 (12) DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0008413
