An Inside Look at the Marine Fish Industry

An Inside Look at the Marine Fish Industry

When asked where ornamental marine fish come from, the response for many would be either the "ocean" or the local pet store. Though it may seem like a simple question with a simple answer, many hobbyists are becoming more aware that the answer is not quite that simple. Knowing where your marine fish comes from, matters. The manner in which marine fish are caught and handled play an integral part in their health and longevity in the home aquarium.

Collection & Handling

For decades the live marine tropical fish industry has consisted of many different people and organizations, mostly from the vast chains of islands throughout the Indonesian and Philippine archipelago. The coral reef habitats of these island chains contain the greatest diversity of coral reef species in the entire world.

The Chain of Custody

  • Collection - Most marine fish from these locations begin their journey with individual collectors who capture and then hold the catch for several days until the lot is sold. At this time, middlemen who routinely acquire fish from many different collectors, in different collection locations, purchase the fish. The middlemen then transport the fish, often over very long distances, by boat, truck, or other means to an export facility.
  • Export Facilities - The major export facilities for marine tropical fish in these countries are located in: Manila, Philippines, Denpasar, Bali and Jakarta, Indonesia. The batches of fish are offered for sale to the exporter, who selects and then holds the fish again for a period of time depending on species desirability and current demand. At these export facilities, fish are usually maintained in filtered ocean water and sorted. Aggressive species are separated from each other and from more passive fish. The fish will then be consolidated and packaged for individual orders placed by importers/wholesalers in the United States, Europe and Asia.
  • Import Facilities - The majority of tropical marine fish importers in the United States are located in Los Angeles, California. Although there are importers of marine fish across the United States, California is ideal due to its proximity to the Indo-Pacific. Most larger, well-established importers have modern and efficient filtration systems along with well-designed holding aquariums and cubicles to maintain optimum water conditions. The wholesaler/importer will maintain the marine life and fill orders for retailers where the fish are finally sold in local aquarium stores. The hobbyists will then purchase the fish and place the specimen in its final destination, the home aquarium.

How Improper Handling Affects You and the Environment

The health of aquarium fish is directly related to the collection practices, holding and husbandry techniques, as well as proper packaging methods employed by everyone in the chain of distribution.

If fish are captured with chemicals or are overstocked in inadequate holding containers (e.g., overcrowded buckets or plastic bags without filtered water, oxygenation, or temperature stabilization) they are exposed to undue stress that directly affects their survivability and overall health.

  • Use of Chemicals - For decades, the practice of capturing fish with chemicals such as cyanide has been prevalent for many collectors in the Philippines and Indonesia. This collection method has a long lasting, detrimental effect on reef organisms and kills corals and other precious habitat. Fortunately, responsible and well-trained collectors in these regions only use nets for collection. In addition, new net-training programs are being implemented in the Philippines and collectors receive proper mesh netting and equipment, and are trained on responsible collection methods and safe diving protocols. 
  • Improper Handling - Every time fish are caught, bagged, transported and then acclimated into a new environment, they are subjected to stress. Additional stress is placed upon fish when too many species of fish are improperly maintained or packed and transported in less than ideal manners. The cumulative stress placed on fish increases in longer supply chains as the potential for improper handling of fish increases with each passing hand. Quite simply, the more hands that handle the fish, the greater the potential for added stress.


Because there are literally thousands of collectors and hundreds of middlemen and exporters in the Philippines and Indonesia alone, it is often difficult to determine if the utmost care was taken during every step along the journey to ensure the healthiest, best possible fish for the hobbyist.

What You Can Do?

On a personal level, you want healthy quality fish to appreciate in your home aquarium and on a global level, you want to make certain we are able to preserve and pass down the legacy and beauty of the oceans and its inhabitants that first attracted us to the hobby.

What you can do to ensure healthy quality fish while protecting our reefs

  • Global level - We encourage you to be an educated purchaser of the aquatic life for your home aquarium. Familiarize yourself with organizations such as MASNA (Marine Aquarium Societies of North America), Rising Tide Conservation, PIJAC (Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council), WWF (World Wildlife Fund), Reef Check, and CORAL (Coral Reef Alliance) and their efforts to protect our reefs. They are just a few key groups that provide invaluable information as well as plans of action to promote change and increase knowledge about aquaculture initiatives here and abroad.


A great number of hobbyists, marine life dealers, and private individuals are also involved in initiating rapid change in the Philippines and Indonesia by organizing and accepting donations for the purchase and supply of netting material for distribution to Philippine and Indonesian collectors.

Spend some time looking into these organizations and contact them for more information regarding how you can contribute to making a positive impact. All of us that care about our coral reefs and enjoy this rewarding hobby must work together in order to help initiate and promote change.

  • Personal level - Proper planning and education are the most important factors when deciding which species of fish are ideal for your aquarium and skill level. Researching species husbandry and care requirements, as well as understanding how the fish made its way to the home aquarium are of the utmost importance to achieve a stress-free and harmonious aquarium for many years to come. While there are vast amounts of information regarding husbandry and care requirements, a factor that is not understood by most hobbyists is where fish come from and the manner in which they made it to your aquarium.

Research where and how your marine fish were collected before they arrived at your home aquarium. It may seem like a daunting task, with so many species and so much information. However, the extra effort is well-worth knowing you have made a sound choice and the thriving marine environment achieved in your home serves as a model for others and a reminder of your efforts.

What LiveAquaria is Doing

LiveAquaria takes a multi-faceted approach to provide education, incorporate efficient distribution methods, and align with only the most responsible suppliers to offer aquatic life from regions with strict collection and shipping protocols, and captive-bred and aquacultured choices.

Education

We believe education and understanding species requirements is one of the keys to a successful aquarium. By offering extensive information for every species offered at LiveAquaria, we make the process of planning and researching potential inhabitants informative and convenient. We also have a comprehensive library of articles on diverse aspects regarding aquarium ownership and husbandry, written by our expert aquatics staff and industry professionals to help hobbyists succeed.

Efficient Distribution Methods

We are able to offer healthier quality marine life by eliminating several steps in the normal chain of distribution, minimizing the number of times the fish change hands. Stress has been found to be the number one factor in lowering the immune system of fish, making them more susceptible to parasitic and bacterial infections. By cutting out several steps in the chain of distribution, we are able to minimize stress and offer superior fish, invertebrates and live corals.

Marine Aquatic Life Standards of Excellence

LiveAquaria customers receive their orders directly from the most responsible importers and aquaculture facilities in the country - or directly from our Coral Farm & Aquatic Life facility. All LiveAquaria vendor partners must go through our extensive vetting process and meet our strict standards for responsible collection and transportation practices. LiveAquaria vendor partners must:

  • Have documentation confirming responsible collection practices
  • Comply with all laws and regulations governing the collection and export of any wildlife
  • Be in accordance with international standards such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) standards

In addition, our vendor partners and our facility have strict protocols for breeding and rearing ornamental marine fish, superior acclimation, holding, and husbandry, and utilize the most advanced filtration equipment, habitats and holding systems. After each species is carefully inspected, they are then selected and packed by an expert crew of well-trained professionals and shipped directly to your door. We are so confident in our quality standards, we are able to offer a full 7-day guarantee on fish, corals, plants, and inverts, PLUS an extended 30-Day Guarantee for every LiveAquaria Certified Captive Grown Coral.

Selections from regions with strict protocols

We are proud to offer the largest diversity of fish from short supply chain regions such as Hawaii, Cook Islands, Christmas Island, Marshall Islands, Tahiti, Fiji, Tonga, Micronesia, Melanesia, Australia, Coral Sea, East Africa, Red Sea, and many more locales. We feel strongly about focusing our efforts on fish from short supply chain regions that employ sound collection, transport, and holding techniques.

These regions not only employ sound collection practices and techniques, but exporters in these areas employ better handling and husbandry techniques. The vast majority of exporters from these regions have modern holding facilities with proper filtration and utilize sound and tested handling and shipping protocols. Although fish from these areas are more expensive, we know they are the best possible fish for the hobbyist and enthusiast. We clearly list the country of origin for every species of fish available at LiveAquaria to make selection more convenient.

Captive-bred and Aquacultured choices

LiveAquaria is committed to offering sustainably raised aquatic life that is either aquacultured or responsibly harvested, which includes careful attention to both the animals and the habitat. We are proud to offer one of the largest selections of captive-bred and aquacultured aquatic life. We seek out fish, corals and invertebrates from aquaculture facilities, breeders and hatcheries in the United States, Asia, and Europe to provide a viable alternative to wild caught fish whenever possible. In addition, LiveAquaria is home to one of the nation's premier coral propagation facilities, where we propagate, raise, and inspect our aquacultured corals carefully before offering them to the public. By offering these choices to our customers, we encourage the aquarium industry to culture a larger variety of species and provide valuable research and information for the advancement of the hobby.

We encourage you to consider these aspects when selecting your marine life provider. Making conscientious and informed decisions is up to each of us and it does not have to be a difficult one. LiveAquaria will continue to work hard at always seeking out the best possible aquatic life for our customers, while providing the most comprehensive amount of information in order to help everyone achieve their dream aquarium.