Those of you familiar with my writing know I care deeply about a small Indonesian fish known as the Banggai cardinalfish. Most saltwater aquarists are quite familiar with this aquarium favorite, but for those of you unfamiliar with the Banggai cardinalfish, you should know it is a fish whose conservation status may be in jeopardy as a direct result of the marine aquarium trade. In response, many in the marine aquarium trade have called for an all-out boycott of the species. While I have urged caution in regard to purchasing wild-caught Banggai cardinalfish until more information is available, I have also felt that the marine aquarium trade has not done enough to understand the actual situation on the ground in the Banggai Islands where the fish originates. Over the past year, I have therefore done my best to try to familiarize hobbyists with the state of affairs in the Banggai Islands based on numerous interviews with local individuals. I have published my findings here and in publications such as CORAL Magazine.
People frequently ask me what the harm is in an all-out boycott on the Banggai cardinalfish and why I have not supported such action. To me, a categorical boycott ignores the fact that a sustainable and robust marine aquarium trade can provide significant socio-economic benefit to developing island nations like the Banggai Islands. Now I am not suggesting that economics should trump conservation of a species, but I do believe strongly that the two are not mutually exclusive. Further, marine aquarists can and should be on the front line of reef conservation, and a fish like the Banggai cardinalfish can inspire aquarists here in North America to become strong advocates for threatened tropical marine ecosystems worldwide. Finally, while the Banggai cardinalfish issue has gotten the press time this past year, it is far from the most alarming conservation issue which faces our hobby.
As a writer, I believe that I can help the Banggai cardinalfish by educating hobbyists about the species, its conservation status and the role it can play in the socio-economics of the Banggai Islands. My wife, who is also a saltwater aquarist, has taken it upon herself to use her talents as an award-winning conservation artist to further raise awareness about the Banggai cardinalfish by directly supporting conservation and management initiatives in the Banggai Islands. To achieve this, she has created a Banggai cardinalfish notecard based on one of her original illustrations, and she is now selling the card to raise money for Yayasan Alam Indonesia Lestari (LINI), an Indonesian not-for-profit organization that has worked tirelessly in the Banggai Islands (and throughout Indonesia) to support the conservation and management of coastal marine resources. Karen and I are thrilled that Saltwaterfish.com, which has also worked closely with LINI, will now be selling Karen’s Banggai cardinalfish notecards with 100% of the proceeds going directly to LINI! Please join the effort to support LINI and the future of the Banggai cardinalfish by purchasing either a single notecard or a notecard set today.
Finally, I want to point out the fact that Saltwaterfish.com is starting off a month of festivities celebrating the company’s 10th anniversary. Look for outstanding promotions all month long beginning with $9.99 shipping on orders over $99.99!
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