A team of marine biologists at the U.S. Center for Biological Diversity say roughly 6 million tropical fish imported into the United States each year have been poisoned by cyanide off the coasts of countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka.
Sodium cyanide is often used by tropical fishers to disorient and stun fish, making them easier to catch. Exposure to the poison can cause heart, brain, and liver damage to fish. It can also damage nearby coral reef habitats.
The recent report came just a day ahead of Friday’s release of the Disney sequel Finding Dory, which features an animated blue tang fish. Craig Downs and Rene Umberger, marine biologists who co-authored the study, say they are concerned the film will increase global demand for the blue tang fish, and could in turn devastate the wild population.
Pixar/Disney via AP
“Prior to the release of Finding Dory, concern has been growing that worldwide sales of royal blue tangs may increase, further depleting wild royal blue tang populations,” the researchers noted.
“A similar trend was observed after the release of Finding Nemo, which triggered a sharp rise in the sale of orange clownfish.”
But unlike the orange clownfish, which can easily be bred in captivity, the blue tang fish can only breed in the wild. Scientists have failed, despite over a decade of trying, to successfully develop a method to breed the fish in aquariums.
In fact, only about 15 per cent of nearly 2,000 aquarium fish species are bred in captivity, and only a few dozen of those are commercially available. The rest, like the blue tang fish, are taken from the wild. To have a real-life “Dory” at home can cost anywhere from $100 to $200 — just for the fish itself.
TENGKU BAHAR/AFP/Getty ImagesChildren observe clownfish swimming in a tank at a roadside pet store in downtown Kuala Lumpur, 12 April 2007.
The scientists who published the most recent study found that roughly 50 per cent of wild-caught aquarium fish tested positive for cyanide exposure. Online aquarium forums are full of hobbyists asking about diseases and unexplained deaths in tropical fish. In high concentrations, cyanide can cause organ failure in fish, and some studies have suggested its presence may be linked to “Sudden Death Syndrome,” where a fish appears to die spontaneously.
The chemical is also harmful because it can damage coral reefs and the species that rely on them.
According to the report, “instead of precisely targeting one fish, the cyanide squirts out of the bottle and immediately forms a lethal cloud that easily spreads down the reef — stunning, damaging or killing everything it comes into contact with.”
In the U.S., importing fish caught using cyanide is illegal under the Lacey Act, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates that 90 per cent of aquarium fish are still imported illegally.
There is currently no way for buyers to tell if the fish were captured using cyanide. NOAA has petitioned the U.S. government since 2008 to establish checkpoints for testing imported and exported tropical fish, but says it does not receive enough funding or the cooperation of the Philippines and Indonesia, where most of the cyanide fishing takes place.
In response to the increased demand for clownfish following Finding Nemo in 2003, researchers in Australia from the University of Queensland and Flinders University launched a major captive breeding program to provide the fish to local suppliers without having to take the fish from reefs.
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They recently called on Ellen Degeneres, who voices the title character in the new film, to join the “Saving Nemo” campaign, and urged people to avoid buying the fish based on the forgetful Disney character.
Degeneres has not publicly addressed the issue of cyanide fishing, but released a video last week, calling on Australians to protect their country’s natural heritage. The Great Barrier Reef, which can be seen off the northeast coast of Australia from space, has made headlines in recent months because a large section of the reef is dying due to coral bleaching.
“As you may know, I’m a big fan of your beautiful, great, wonderful Great Barrier Reef which is home to my favourite fish, Dory,” DeGeneres said in the video.
“It’s critical that we protect this amazing place. Help us help Dory ‘just keep swimming’.”