This morning I received my May / June issue of CORAL Magazine. The issue features mouthbrooders, and it is, as you would expect, beautiful. The thing that makes me the most pleased, however, is that it is the first major magazine to look at both sides of the Banggai cardinalfish issue. Now, granted, I’m biased, as I have an article in the issue, but I think we all should be pleased that at least one marine aquarium publication has stepped up and attempted to provide objective, unbiased coverage of an issue that is so central to both the hobby and the industry at large.
As I have written here before, I become concerned when we only look at one side of a story—any story. I’m not suggesting that the Banggai cardinalfish is not in dire straits as a species, and I’m not encouraging you all to run out and buy wild-caught Banggais, but I am encouraging you to educate yourself about the issue looking at both the hobby side and the supply side of the issue.
My article in the May / June issue of CORAL Magazine features an interview with Gayatri Reksodihardjo of Yayasan Alam Indonesia Lestari (LINI), and it the first time we are hearing from a person on the ground in Indonesia about this Indonesian species. Reksodihardjo believes a boycott on wild-caught Banggai cardinalfish is the wrong move at present, and, for a variety of reasons, she believes that a sustainable fishery for Banggai cardinalfish is not only possible, but important. I will be bringing more of her perspective to you here in future entries.
Am I suggesting we should all agree with her? Not at all, but I think we have a responsibility as aquarists to listen to what she (and others in Indonesia) has to say. I hope you get a chance to read the interview, and I hope you will continue the discussion about the Banggai issue here, in the Saltwaterfish.com forums, in the forums on my website, at aquarium club meetings, and at the local fish store. We don’t all need to agree, but we do need to be having the conversation based on accurate, objective information.
I will now step off my soapbox. Thanks for listening.
Comments