Marine ornamental trade in Indonesia

Abstract

Trade with marine species as ornamentals is an important sector of the international pet trade. The vast majority of these species are collected from the wild and one of the top supplying countries is Indonesia. Detailed evidence on trade with marine resources in Indonesia is lacking or it is hardly accessible. Moreover, the exploitation of ornamental species seems to be mostly uncontrolled. This study presents detailed characteristics of such trade for Indonesia, including the offered species, their sizes, prices, and conservation status, based on data and information obtained from wholesalers in 2018. The main provinces of marine wildlife collecting are also identified. In total, 777 marine vertebrate and invertebrate species were traded, belonging to 174 families including two species classified as endangered: Banggai cardinal fish (Pterapogon kauderni) and zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum). Commonly traded was red lionfish (Pterois volitans), known to be a successful invader. The volume of ornamental marine fish exported from Indonesia in period 2015–2019 was 3 353 983 kgs sold for 33 123 218 USD. The province of Bali was identified as the main exporter of ornamental marine fish within Indonesia. These findings should help to establish sustainable exploitation of marine resources in relation to conservation and wildlife management.

Marine or freshwater: the role of ornamental fish keeper’s preferences in the conservation of aquatic organisms in Brazil

“…In addition to fish, invertebrates are also exploited by ornamental fish keepers in Brazil, although to a lesser extent. Despite the use of invertebrates not being as well documented as the use of fish in fish keeping, it has been recorded by some studies which have highlighted the popularized trade of these animals for this purpose ( Ng et al, 2016 ; Uderbayev et al, 2017 ; Alves & Rocha, 2018 ; Akmal et al, 2020 ). Without considering corals, it is estimated that about 500 species of invertebrates are used in fish keeping, including mollusks (gastropods, bivalves, and cephalopods), polychaetes, crustaceans (shrimps, crabs, and lobsters), anemones and echinoderms (starfish, urchins) and sea cucumbers ( Palmtag, 2017 ; Alves & Rocha, 2018 ).…”

Record of Tawny Nurse Shark (<em>Nebrius ferrugineus</em>) in Southern Morotai, North Maluku, Indonesia

“…However, as one of the main exporter countries for tawny nurse sharks, research from Indonesia is still limited, especially on trade and supply chain. One study stated that low quantity is utilised and exported since the species size is too big for house aquariums and the price is relatively high compared to other ornamental fish commodities (Akmal et al, 2020).…”

Gyrodactylus (Monogenea: Gyrodactylidae) on marine ornamental fish Amphiprion percula from a marine aquaculture facility in Indonesia

“…Indonesia is one of the main MOF trade supply countries (FAO 2009). Wild-caught clownfishes are still highly exported (Akmal et al 2020), and several species can now be farmed (Olivotto and Geffroy 2017). Their beautiful appearance and relative ease of maintenance in the aquarium make Amphiprion attractive to MOF hobbyists and usually used as an attractive model fish (Wood 2001;Wabnitz 2003;Klann et al 2021).…”