The Revelator, 4 December 2024 – Marine biologist Monica Biondo has spent more than a decade studying the multibillion-dollar market for these colorful fish, which pulls thousands of species from the ocean each year.
Her journey began in 2007 with the Banggai cardinalfish, whose popularity in aquariums caused a 90% population decline within a decade. This spurred Biondo to investigate, revealing how weak regulations and poor data collection obscure the trade’s true impact. The EU and U.S., major importers, often fail to identify species or their sources, making sustainable management impossible.
Biondo’s research shows up to 4,000 coral reef fish species may be traded, mostly wild-caught. Coral reefs face existential threats, and she argues better data and regulation are vital to prevent overexploitation.
Her watchlists highlight at-risk species, like the blue-green damselfish, whose unexplained trade declines signal potential population issues. She warns, “We’re running against the clock” to protect coral ecosystems and their dazzling inhabitants.
Read the article: https://therevelator.org/ornamental-fish-trade/